Arizona toddler declared dead found alive in morgue hours later

• A toddler was rescued from a backyard pool in a Phoenix suburb on Feb. 8 and later declared dead at a hospital, but about five hours after the pronouncement, police were told the child was breathing.
• Two Gilbert police officers reported seeing possible signs of life multiple times, but the child was still taken to the hospital’s “cold room” after being treated by staff.
• Dr. Aryan Toosi told a responding officer, “I went to medical school for a reason,” according to police records.
• The boy ultimately survived the incident and has been released from medical care, according to the records.

Doctor told officer ‘let me do my thing’ before toddler found breathing

First responders were dispatched to a home in a Phoenix suburb at about 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 8 after receiving a report of a child drowning in a backyard pool, according to records obtained by the Associated Press from Gilbert police. Emergency personnel performed life-saving measures on the toddler before transporting him to a hospital, where medical staff pronounced the boy dead roughly one hour after his arrival.

The recently released police documents describe a sequence in which two Gilbert police officers observed what they believed were possible signs of life in the child multiple times during the incident. Despite those observations, the toddler was taken to a room at the hospital known as the “cold room,” which serves as the facility’s morgue, according to the records. Police are seeking charges related to the case, according to the Associated Press.

During the exchange at the hospital, Dr. Aryan Toosi told a police officer, “Please do your thing and let me do my thing,” according to the report. He added, “I went to medical school for a reason.” The doctor’s comments were included in the police records that documented the timeline and interactions between medical staff and law enforcement.

Approximately five hours after the child was pronounced dead, police received notification that the toddler was breathing. The boy was then flown to another medical facility for further treatment. The records state that the child ultimately survived the drowning and has been released from medical care.