‘Miracle’: Child shows signs of life after being pronounced dead in near-drowning at pool

GILBERT, Ariz. (KPHO/Gray News) — A child has made a miraculous recovery after nearly drowning in a backyard pool in Arizona on Super Bowl Sunday.

Police and fire crews were called to a home where a child was found in a backyard pool around 5:30 p.m.

First responders performed life-saving measures at the scene before the child was rushed to a nearby hospital, where the child was pronounced dead at 6:20 p.m.

Five hours later, around 11:30 p.m., Gilbert police were told the child was showing signs of life. The child was flown to another nearby hospital and is expected to survive, police said.

KPHO reporter Micaela Marshall asked Dr. Frank LoVecchio, an emergency medicine physician with decades of experience, whether the child could have been in the morgue during those five hours.

“I guess anything’s possible, but it doesn’t sound probable,” LoVecchio said.

When asked if he had ever heard of a case like this before, LoVecchio said he had not.

“Somewhat hard to believe as a physician,” he said. “It’s hard to believe that they were pronounced dead and then sent to the morgue and hours later they awoke. Maybe — never say never in medicine. Never say never, and never say always.”

LoVecchio believes the child was likely very cold after being pulled from the water, possibly making the pulse too faint to detect — a condition he says could mimic death. But he said he remains skeptical of the full account.

“If you’re overly sensitive, it’s when you’re pronouncing a child dead. You want to be absolutely sure — make sure the temperature was adequate, that there is no heartbeat, no movement, no blood pressure,” LoVecchio said. “So, I think something’s missing from the story.”

Even so, LoVecchio described the situation as “absolutely a miracle.”

Drownings are common in Arizona. Nationwide, drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4.

It remains unclear whether the child was taken to the hospital morgue after being declared dead and later showed signs of life, or whether 11:30 p.m. was simply when the Gilbert Police Department received an update on the child’s condition.

LoVecchio said that after just a couple of minutes without oxygen, brain function is severely impacted. However, he said the child growing up without serious health consequences is not off the table, given that not all the facts are known.

Police said the investigation is ongoing. The child’s name and age have not been released.