Posted on 07/02/2026 9:48:57 AM PDT by DFG
GILBERT, AZ — An Arizona toddler was found breathing inside a Gilbert hospital morgue after being declared dead hours earlier by an Arizona doctor, according to police records.
A police report and body camera video reviewed by the ABC15 Investigators show that two Gilbert police officers saw signs of life multiple times, but the toddler was still taken to the hospital’s “cold room,” which is also considered to be the morgue.
One officer wrote in the police report that the baby was pronounced dead “in error” by the Mercy Gilbert doctor even after a tense exchange about a pulse possibly being detected.
The 18-month-old was rushed to Mercy Gilbert Medical Center after he was found inside the family’s pool on Super Bowl Sunday in February.
It has taken months for the Gilbert police to release public records related to the near-drowning.
The ABC15 Investigators reviewed a half dozen body camera videos, including videos from the initial drowning scene and videos inside the hospital. Most of the videos are heavily blurred, and most of the audio has been muted, but one critical moment was captured between the doctor and the officer.
According to the police report, the officer wrote that a nurse in another room said: “I have a pulse.”
The officer wrote that when he tried to alert the doctor who was with the family in another room, the doctor appeared to dismiss the concerns, “[The doctor] arrogantly told me he was the doctor, he has the medical degree, he went to medical school for a reason, and to let him do his thing.”
Records show that shortly after that exchange, the doctor went on to declare the baby dead.
Over the next hour, two Gilbert police officers continued to document signs of life in their police report.
One officer wrote, “The release of air was audible and visible,” later writing, “It also began to sound like [redacted] was gasping for air.”
The report goes on to say that when medical staff went to move the boy’s body to the morgue, the officer wrote that she “observed what appeared to be another audible gasp.”
That was not the last time she heard signs of life, either.
While inside the morgue, the officer said, “I again observed what appeared to be a gasp or air release, which was now almost an hour later.”
A nurse who was there said those sounds could be a response to efforts to save the toddler.
Some of the last audio recordings heard on the body camera videos were of an officer telling the family that they could say goodbye.
The report says, hours later, at 11:52 p.m., the Medical Examiner's transport showed up and found the toddler was breathing inside the hospital morgue. He was then flown to Phoenix Children's Hospital for treatment.
An MRI said that the baby had brain damage, and we are told he will need lifelong care.
An attorney representing the family declined to comment.
Mercy Gilbert said in a statement, “This is a heartbreaking situation. We immediately conducted a thorough review of all aspects of the care provided to learn what happened and to make meaningful changes to strengthen our care. Out of respect for the patient's privacy, we cannot discuss details. We continue to work with the family and their representative. Patient safety and exceptional care is our highest priority.”
Dear FRiends,
We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.
If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you,
Jim
“…after he was found inside the family’s pool”
MAID by cop. This is attempted murder.
Sad that the confusion occurred, but the fact remains that the Toddler was without oxygen for a critical period of time. That going to result in irreversible brain damage.
Resulting in kind of a ‘Living Death’, maintained by artificial means.
It seems like this doctor and the hospital have some serious liability.
Indian doctor? Sounds like the ones I’ve had unfortunately. If not, probably a graduate of Columbia in NYC. A-holes all the way there.
that doctor sounds like an arrogant prick.
I hate doctors anyhow, but this is why.
Bring out your dead.
True. There are many arrogant prick doctors.
They usually make mistakes because they are not humble and in tune with God.
While a Marine during World War II, my father was in a hospital and had a spinal tap done on him. It temporarily paralyzed him, and he was pronounced dead. He was conscious but couldn’t move. They pulled a sheet over him. He could feel the gurney moving as they wheeled him into the morgue. He spent the rest of the day there. A nurse, not confident that he was dead, came to check on him after her shift was over, and found him still alive. She was reprimanded for insubordination, and the doctor was given a promotion. My father never went to a VA hospital after that as long as he was alive.
Try again. It was the police who kept trying to get the doctor (”I HAVE A DEGREE”) to believe that they sawr signs of life.
no the cops objected.
Whoops!
Distinct Indian Accent.
We are importing the best!
I bet the med degree was fake from the indian diploma mill.
We USED to have laws and boards that MADE you pass the state boards before allowing you to practice in each particular state.
Gilbert used to be a nice little farm town SE of Phoenix. The Californicators turned it into a suburban shithole.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.