Toddler in Arizona found alive in morgue

GILBERT, Ariz. (NBC, KYMA) - A toddler was declared dead for five hours before being found alive in a Gilbert, Arizona hospital morgue.

Newly obtained police video provides a clear timeline of the incident that happened earlier this year.

A Gilbert emergency room doctor declared an 18-month-old boy dead after he was pulled from a backyard pool earlier this year, but nearly five hours later, after the boy was moved to the hospital morgue, he was found still breathing.

Newly released Gilbert police video begins just after 5:30 p.m. on February 8, Super Bowl Sunday.

The child was reportedly found face down in a backyard pool near higley and chandler heights roads for an unknown amount of time.

Officers accompanied the child to Mercy Gilbert Medical Center where doctors and nurses took over life saving efforts.

After several minutes, the doctor reportedly instructed his team to stop CPR, and announced the child's condition was "not compatible with life." He left the room to inform the parents.

As he returned, an officer told him the child still had a pulse to which the doctor reportedly responded to "let him do his thing."

According to the police report, several people, including the child's parents and officers, expressed concerns the child was still breathing after he was declared dead.

One officer said it sounded like the child was gasping for air. A nurse dismissed the concerns as agonal, or not true breathing.

At 7:23 p.m., the child was closed inside the hospital morgue and just before midnight, the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office transporter found him breathing.

A spokesperson for Mercy Gilbert Medical Center said they immediately conducted a review of what happened and cannot discuss details out of respect for the patient's privacy.

A statement said in part, "This is a heartbreaking situation…We continue to work with the family and their representative. Patient safety and exceptional care is our highest priority."