Arizona Hospital Declares Toddler Dead, Then Finds Him Breathing in Morgue

An 18-month-old was pronounced dead after a February pool drowning in Arizona, only to be discovered alive in the hospital's cold storage five hours later. First responders arrived at 5:30pm; death was declared by 6:30pm. Police records show officers noted possible vital signs before the pronouncement. The discovery raises questions about how hospitals determine death in pediatric cold-water drowning cases, where hypothermia can mimic clinical death.