Mercy Gilbert Medical Center in Gilbert, Arizona, where an 18-month-old baby was declared dead before being found alive in the morgue. [AP/Yonhap]
Mercy Gilbert Medical Center in Gilbert, Arizona, where an 18-month-old baby was declared dead before being found alive in the morgue. [AP/Yonhap]

An 18-month-old baby declared dead after being found unconscious in a swimming pool in the United States was later discovered alive in a morgue, the BBC reported Wednesday.

Citing a recently released police report, the BBC said the infant was found unresponsive in a residential swimming pool in Gilbert, Arizona, on Feb. 8 and was pronounced dead at a hospital — only to be found breathing in the morgue five hours later.

According to the police report, the child's family discovered the baby floating face-down in their backyard pool.

The family immediately called police, who arrived at the scene at around 5:30 p.m., administered emergency treatment and transported the child to Mercy Gilbert Medical Center.

Officers told the attending physician, Dr. Ariane Toussi, that they had "observed signs of life," but the doctor reportedly responded: "You do your job and let me do mine. There's a reason I went to medical school."

Body camera footage obtained by a local NBC affiliate showed the doctor declaring the time of death at around 6:20 p.m. that day, after which she observed a brief moment of silence.

What appeared to be a straightforward drowning case took a dramatic turn when a Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office transport driver arrived at the morgue.

The driver found the child — pronounced dead five hours earlier — still breathing, and transferred the baby to another hospital. The infant recovered and was discharged without further incident.

The police report did not include the child's medical records, leaving the full circumstances of the incident unresolved.

A lawyer for the doctor who issued the death declaration told the BBC in a statement that the physician declined to comment on the case to protect patient and family confidentiality. The hospital where the doctor works also declined to provide details.

Police recommended that the child's parents be charged with negligence, but the Maricopa County prosecutor's office has not disclosed whether charges will be filed.

The family had gathered at the home to watch the NFL Super Bowl at the time of the incident.

Police suspect the parents failed to adequately supervise the child's access to the pool, citing reasons that included a strong smell of marijuana detected inside the home.


husn7@heraldcorp.com