An 18-month-old child was discovered breathing inside the morgue of a Gilbert hospital several hours after a physician had declared him dead, according to police records and body camera footage reviewed by ABC15 Investigators. The toddler was initially rushed to Mercy Gilbert Medical Center after being found submerged in a family pool on Super Bowl Sunday in February. Gilbert is about 11 miles northwest of Queen Creek.
A police report details a tense interaction between an officer and the attending physician. The officer noted that a nurse in an adjacent room stated she detected a pulse. When the officer attempted to alert the doctor, who was with the family, the physician reportedly dismissed the concerns, telling the officer he had the medical degree and should be allowed to proceed with his assessment. Shortly after this exchange, the doctor declared the child dead, a determination the officer later described in the report as being made in error.
Over the following hour, two Gilbert police officers documented multiple signs of life in their report. One officer wrote that air release was both audible and visible, and that the child appeared to be gasping for air. Another officer noted observing what seemed to be another gasp as medical staff prepared to move the body to the cold room. Inside the morgue, the officer recorded hearing what appeared to be a gasp or air release almost an hour after the initial death declaration. A nurse present at the time suggested these sounds could be a physiological response to resuscitation efforts.
At 11:52 p.m., a Medical Examiner transport team arrived at the facility and found the toddler breathing. He was subsequently flown to Phoenix Children's Hospital for treatment. An MRI scan revealed that the child suffered brain damage and will require lifelong care. Some of the final audio captured on body cameras included an officer informing the family that they could say their goodbyes.
