Mother whose toddler pronounced dead by doctor before being found alive in morgue relives horrifying ordeal: ‘He failed my son’

Mother whose toddler pronounced dead by doctor before being found alive in morgue relives horrifying ordeal: ‘He failed my son’ ‘I didn’t even think stuff like that happened. I thought I lost my baby, and he was back. There isn’t a day I don’t think about that day,’ mom Alexus Fiordilino said - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in The mother of an Arizona toddler who was found alive at a hospital morgue, hours after he had been declared dead, has spoken out for the first time as police ask the state Attorney General’s Office to review the case for possible felony child abuse charges against the doctor. Eighteen-month-old Vincent Lorenzo Fiordilino was pronounced dead at a hospital in Gilbert earlier this year after he was believed to have drowned in a swimming pool. “I just remember begging him and begging him, just please keep it like that. Please let me have him back,” his mom, Alexus Fiordilino, told AZFamily. Five hours later, the grieving mother received a call that medical staff discovered the little boy alive in the morgue. “I didn’t even think stuff like that happened. I thought I lost my baby, and he was back,” Fiordilinos said. “There isn’t a day I don’t think about that day.” The family’s attorney, John Brewer, told ABC15 and AZFamily that medical documents they had obtained revealed a potential lapse in Vincent’s care at Mercy Gilbert Medical Center and the family plans to file a lawsuit against the hospital and the doctor. Gilbert Police Department has asked the Arizona Attorney General’s Office to review the case for possibly felony charges against the doctor. The AG’s office has not yet decided whether to review the case, according to AZFamily. The incident unfolded during a Super Bowl Sunday party February 8 after Vincent was found floating face down in a family member’s pool. In a 911 call, his mother can be heard crying and begging for help as first responders performed CPR. “I remember just begging the police officers and the fire department to just save him, like please just save him. Please help me,” she said this week. Sixteen minutes after Vincent was rushed to the hospital, he was pronounced dead. But five hours later, Fiordilino received a call to tell her that her son was still alive. “I remember feeling really grateful. And I remember just wanted to rush to him. I needed to get back to him. I felt so bad that he was alone,” she tearfully recalled. Police body-cam footage, taken at the hospital February 8 around 6:13 p.m, reveals an unidentified person asking if doctors had received results of Vincent’s blood gas test. The unidentified person was told doctors hadn’t gotten the results yet. Vincent was declared dead, seven minutes later, at 6:20 p.m. The doctor cited the blood gas test as part of the medical reasoning to declare the child dead - however, the test results did not arrive until 6:38 p.m., according to the family’s attorney. Alexus Fiordilino believes if the doctor had waited longer, her son would have never ended up in the morgue. “I think that man failed to do his job properly, just based off of the information I’ve learned. He failed my son every step of the way,” she said. “We trusted the professionals, right? The ones that have their degrees, that went to school to do it, that took an oath, made a promise that they would do everything they could. And they looked at my son and, for whatever reason, decided he wasn’t worth it,” she added. Alexus Fiordilino shared photos of Vincent in physical therapy and said her son is forever changed after the incident. The toddler’s family noted in a GoFundMe in February that he would face a “long and challenging recovery” that would require his organs to be monitored. The family’s lawyer also said that Vincent would require lifelong care as a result of the incident. In a statement, Mercy Gilbert Medical Center said: “This is a heartbreaking situation. Out of respect for the patient’s privacy, we cannot share any information, and we are unable to comment on those involved in patient care. Patient safety and exceptional care are our highest priorities.” The Independent has contacted the hospital for more information. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments