Vincent Fiordilino: Toddler Declared Dead Found Alive In Morgue

A nightmare began for Alexus Fiordilino and her family in early February when her son, 18-month-old Vincent Fiordilino, nearly drowned in a swimming pool as folks gathered to watch the Super Bowl. He was rushed to Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, but what followed was terribly tough on the whole family. Read on for more details.

The Child Was Declared Dead

This weekend, Alexis Alexus Fiordilino chatted with Jesse Weber on NewsNation and described how the incident affected the entire family. But it’s probably worse than you imagined.

Emergency room physician Dr. Aryan Toosi declared the toddler dead at 6:20 p.m. However, Fiordilino and several onlookers maintained that they saw clear signs of life, including gasping for air.

A Shocking Discovery in the Morgue

NBC News reported that more than five hours after Vincent Fiordilino was pronounced dead, transport staff from the medical examiner’s office made a horrific discovery.

The outlet wrote: “police were questioning her and her husband, Angelo, when a detective burst into the room and told them that a medical examiner’s employee who had come to collect Vincent’s body had discovered he was still alive.”

He was immediately airlifted to Phoenix Children’s Hospital for critical care. Doctors later did an MRI, and the results were devastating. The toddler had suffered a severe hypoxic brain injury. He will need physical therapy and care for the rest of his life.

Taking Legal Action

The drowning was reviewed by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. In July 2026, it announced that Fiordilino and her husband would not face criminal charges.

But the family isn’t finished fighting. This time, their concerns are with the medical team.

They launched a public inquiry and are preparing to take legal action against Dr. Toosi and Mercy Gilbert Medical Center. The family alleges that there was serious medical negligence and that testing was delayed.

Fiordilino has also spoken about what happened after she was told her son was dead. She said goodbye to her son because she thought he was dead. Five and a half hours later, staff found him alive in the morgue.

The Family Didn’t Believe Vincent Was Dead

She told Jesse Weber on Saturday that these days, Vincent is doing “relatively okay” for now. But, she added, “He does have a hypoxic brain injury and will need lifelong care.”

She also explained what happened when they believed that the baby was still alive. She said that they went in to say their goodbyes, and that’s when her “mother-in-law went to hug him, and she felt that he was breathing still.” But doctors called it “a death rattle.”

Then she explained that when she hugged her son, a lot of air came out. And again, the doctors explained it was end-of-life breathing. Her husband also witnessed it, but “that’s what they kept saying.”

The News That Vincent Was Alive

Alexus Fiordilino also remembered the moment when they got home and that’s when the police wanted to talk to them to investigate the incident. But when she and her husband were being questioned, the detective told them the baby was being moved to another hospital because he was alive.

John, her attorney, told Jesse that a medical examiner’s assistant noticed Vincent Fiordilino’s limbs were moving “under a sheet.” But he was told by a security guard that the doctor said it’s “normal.” Eventually, after convincing a second security guard, the examiner was able to act on helping Vincent.

The Lawsuit

Now there’s a lawsuit, and John feels that the hospital is “hiding behind doctor/patient privilege, when they don’t have an excuse for this… conscious disregard for human life.”

He added that “several nurses” also saw signs of life. The lawsuit is being filed next week, and they hope to hold the hospital accountable for the doctor’s actions.

Alexus said that she’d like the hospital and the doctor to know “this completely destroyed and changed our lives.” She added that there’s a lot of anxiety and they live their lives focused on Vincent, to the detriment of her other children.

Your thoughts? Join the discussion, and then come back for more crime news and updates.