18-Month-Old Found Alive in Morgue 5 Hours After Being Pronounced Dead

An 18-month-old child who was found unconscious in a swimming pool and later pronounced dead was discovered alive in a morgue five hours later, the BBC reported on July 8 (local time).

Citing a recently released police report, the BBC stated that the toddler, who was found unresponsive in a residential swimming pool in Gilbert, Arizona, on February 8, was found alive in the morgue five hours after being declared dead at a hospital.

According to the police report, the child's family discovered the toddler floating face down in their home swimming pool.

The family immediately contacted the police, who arrived at the scene at 5:30 p.m. on the day of the incident, performed emergency aid, and transported the child to Mercy Gilbert Medical Center.

Police reportedly told the attending physician at the hospital that they had observed "signs of life," but the doctor allegedly responded, "You do your job and let me do mine. There is a reason I went to medical school."

According to police body camera footage obtained by a local NBC affiliate, the doctor declared the time of death at 6:20 p.m. that day, stating, "If there are no objections, I will pronounce the time of death," followed by a brief moment of silence.

The case, which appeared to be a closed drowning incident, took a turn when a transport driver from the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office arrived at the morgue.

The driver discovered that the child, who had been pronounced dead five hours earlier, was breathing, and subsequently transported the toddler to another hospital.

The child recovered at the hospital and was later discharged safely.

The truth behind this bizarre incident has not been fully determined, as the police report did not include the child's medical records.

In a statement sent to the BBC, the attorney for the doctor who pronounced the death declined to comment on the incident, citing patient and family confidentiality.

The hospital where the doctor is employed also did not disclose specific details.

Police recommended that the child's parents be charged with negligence, but the Maricopa County Attorney's Office has not announced whether it will pursue charges.

It was determined that the child's family had gathered at the home to watch the NFL Super Bowl at the time of the accident.

Police suspect that the parents failed to properly supervise the child's access to the swimming pool, noting, among other reasons, that there was a strong smell of marijuana at the family's home.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.