An 18-month-old baby who was found floating in an Arizona swimming pool and then pronounced dead by his healthcare team reportedly spent more than four hours in a morgue cold room before the medical examiner realized he was still breathing.
“If there is no objection, I would like to pronounce the time of death”; It was these words from the treating doctor that almost put the nail in the coffin of little Vincent Lorenzo Fiordilino on February 8, NBC News reported on Saturday. The child was identified by his family in a GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign.
Several months after the incident, the investigation continues to shed light on the unusual story of the 1.5 year old boy, while investigators have now recommended that charges be filed against his parents.
According to the police report obtained by the American media, the latter were possibly “under the influence of marijuana and/or other psychotropic substances” during the broadcast of the Super Bowl, so that they would not have noticed that their son had walked away towards the swimming pool.
Around 5:38 p.m., a call was made to 911 after the little one was found floating, face down, in the pool. A relative allegedly provided cardiopulmonary resuscitation before he was rushed to Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, where Dr. A. Toosi took over, according to the police report obtained by NBC News.
“Leave it to me”
Except that only around 6:13 p.m., Dr. Toosi would have consulted a cell phone, before going to announce the death of the child to his parents. When he returned a few minutes later, a police officer reportedly questioned the doctor’s decision, since the baby still seemed to be gasping for air.
“Please do what you have to do and let me do what I have to do,” the doctor reportedly responded, according to NBC News. If I studied medicine, it’s not for nothing. »
Then, around 7:18 p.m., a detective at the scene reportedly heard “another distinct gasp” as he moved the body to the morgue, followed by yet another, an hour later, when he returned to photograph the baby in the cold room, kept at 2 to 4°C.
“The nurse reiterated that it was agonal breathing and explained that it was due to compressions, oxygen delivery and possible pressure from family members when saying goodbye,” he noted in his report, according to NBC News.
It was only around 11:52 p.m., when the team of forensic doctors arrived in the cold room, that one of them confirmed that the child was still breathing. The child was reportedly rushed to Phoenix Children’s Hospital where he fought for his life for several days.
It is unclear whether the parents and treating doctor will face charges in this case. Dr. Toosi’s lawyer, Mr. Scott Holden, reportedly told the newspaper Independent that “this case contains many more elements – both factually and medically – than what has been reported so far.”
Neither the lawyer nor the Medical Center wished to comment further out of concern for confidentiality, we can read.
