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.”

HAVE A TIP? Email Investigator Nicole Grigg at nicole.grigg@abc15.com.

Key Points:

• Arizona utilities have begun a siting study to explore building a nuclear facility

• The project hit a setback when the utilities were denied a Department of Energy grant 

• Dwindling Colorado River water supplies could also challenge new nuclear growth

Arizona leaders are forging ahead with plans for new nuclear energy generation despite ongoing funding woes and water hurdles. 

At a June 25 Arizona Corporation Commission workshop, utility companies, universities, local governments and private industry stakeholders demonstrated their preparedness and commitment to turning the state’s dreams for a new nuclear power plant into reality. Arizona’s three largest electric utilities announced ahead of the workshop that they have commenced a siting study to find a potential location for the project. 

Arizona Public Service, Salt River Project and Tucson Electric Power are surveying a range of potential sites for a new nuclear plant, including decommissioned coal-fired plants. Commissioners celebrated that announcement at the workshop. 

“With the recent announcement that APS, SRP, and TEP have launched a preliminary siting study for potential new nuclear generation in Arizona, we’re seeing real momentum translate into meaningful action,” Commission Chair Nick Myers said in a statement. “The expertise and collaboration shared throughout this workshop will help ensure we’re prepared to seize the opportunities ahead and build a strong foundation for Arizona’s energy future.”

If all goes according to plan, the companies expect to hold community stakeholder meetings later this year near the potential nuclear sites. The companies will then “evaluate technical, financial and other factors” to determine whether to submit an early site permit application to the federal government.

However, the utility companies did hit a snag in their process. They did not receive a U.S. Department of Energy grant they applied for in order to help finance that early site permit application, which would need to be submitted to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 

The utilities “will continue to work together to explore future funding opportunities to help mitigate the costs of evaluating potential new nuclear generation,” according to a joint statement. The companies stressed that a new nuclear plant is not a foregone conclusion, and they have not decided whether the potential project would use small modular reactors or large reactors like those at Arizona’s Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station west of Phoenix.

The June 25 workshop also identified a few other potential obstacles that could slow Arizona’s nuclear energy progress, like supply chain constraints, community backlash and dwindling Colorado River water supplies. 

Cuts to Arizona’s Colorado River water allocation could be the most difficult obstacle for the state to overcome in order to pursue a new nuclear plant. Representatives from the Arizona Department of Water Resources and the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association told commissioners that the Colorado River is no longer a reliable water supply and alternatives will likely require significant investments.

Palo Verde uses recycled wastewater to cool its three nuclear reactors and APS has explored using low-quality groundwater for cooling at the plant. But with water likely to become more scarce and more expensive in Arizona, a cooling source for any new nuclear plant could be a significant hurdle. 

Proposals attempting to clear the way for new nuclear technologies, like small modular reactors, also did not fare well during this year’s legislative session. Lawmakers introduced six bills that would have preempted local authority or streamlined environmental review processes for small modular reactors, but only one made it to Gov. Katie Hobbs’ desk.

Senate Bill 1418 from Sen. Frank Carroll, R-Sun City West, would have allowed utility companies to bypass the commission’s traditional environmental review process for project siting if the company planned to replace a coal generation unit with a small modular reactor. That bill could have benefited the joint project from APS, SRP and TEP if the companies eventually select small modular reactor technology for the new plant. 

However, Hobbs vetoed the bill, arguing it was not in line with the state’s goal to “responsibly reduce barriers to deploying new energy projects quickly.”

“We are not in the business of picking winners and losers in the energy landscape, and while advancements in small modular reactor technologies are promising, they are still emerging,” Hobbs wrote in a veto letter. “Deploying such a catch-all approach for an emerging technology, as laid out in this bill, is irresponsible.” 

Nevertheless, a potential new nuclear power plant has broad, bipartisan support in Arizona. And some communities are chomping at the bit to bring the technology to their areas, as Navajo County Supervisor Jason Whiting told commissioners on June 25. 

“Northeastern Arizona’s energy communities… want to be part of it,” Whiting said. “They want to be involved with it. They will embrace this discussion and decision with open arms.”

MARANA, AZ (AZFamily) — Proposals for data centers and ICE detention facilities in Marana are dividing neighbors and turning some against their local leaders.

These are two issues that some Republicans and Democrats are finding themselves agreeing on, as people try to take charge of who and what ends up in their communities.

“Well, first I think everyone on our city council needs to be replaced. What they are doing to Marana and surrounding areas is destroying our future and our kids’ futures,” a Marana resident said.

A recent proposal by the Department of Homeland Security would create an ICE detention center about 3 miles from the community center.

The property proposed for the ICE facility was a minimum-security prison with a capacity of about 500 people. The release said that renovations will increase capacity to 775, but could expand to over 1,300.

DHS officials say the facility would include more exam rooms, a dental area, and other features.

Arizona’s Family asked DHS for some clarification on those numbers and details. DHS released a statement saying, “ICE does not discuss individual pre-decisional conversations, but when a new facility contract is finalized, information will be available on ICE.gov.”

Data center concerns

Meanwhile, a rezoning application for a data center surfaced on the Town of Marana’s website last week.

It’s the second potential data center in the area and has people itching to get to public comment to voice their concerns.

“The detention center- we don’t need that here; no one wants that here. The data center- I mean, we already don’t have water and it’s awful; we don’t need another data center. Look at the ones across the country and what they’re doing,” the Marana resident we spoke with said.

Marana Town Manager Terry Rozema said nothing is set in stone.

“There’s so many factors that could come into considering whether or not something is beneficial to a community,” Rozema said.

Supporters of these projects said they will create jobs.

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