GILBERT, Ariz., July 6 (Phoenix Times Online) — Arizona police say an 18-month-old boy who was declared dead after a backyard pool emergency was later found breathing in a hospital morgue, and they have asked prosecutors to charge his parents with child abuse.
The Gilbert Police Department said the child, identified in reporting as Vincent Lorenzo Fiordilino, ultimately survived and has been released from the hospital. Police said the case is now under review by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
According to police statements cited by NBC News, officers and medical staff believed the child had died after being pulled from the pool in Gilbert. NBC News reported that police were later notified at 11:52 p.m. that the boy was breathing in the morgue.
Other reporting, citing Gilbert police, said the child showed signs of life just before 11:30 p.m. and was then flown to another hospital in the Phoenix area for additional treatment. The exact timeline has varied across accounts.
NBC News also reported that a police report referenced by KPNX said investigators were looking at whether the parents’ state of mind may have been impaired by marijuana or other drugs. The report quoted by NBC said both parents admitted to smoking marijuana the morning of the drowning.
Police have not said whether charges have been filed. The county attorney’s office is reviewing the recommendation.
