An 18-month-old Arizona boy who was pronounced dead after a near-drowning was later found alive in a hospital morgue, nearly six hours after doctors declared his death.

According to NBC News, the incident occurred on February 8 at Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, where Vincent Lorenzo Fiordilino was taken after being found face down in his family’s swimming pool. He was pronounced dead at 6:20 pm but was discovered breathing when medical examiners arrived to collect his body at 11:52 pm. He was then airlifted to Phoenix Children’s Hospital.

Gilbert Police said the child survived and has since been released from hospital.

Authorities have recommended that his parents face child abuse charges, alleging they may not have realised the toddler had wandered to the pool because they were impaired by marijuana or other mind-altering substances. The police report states both parents admitted to smoking marijuana earlier that day.

NBC News reported that the case is under investigation by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. Mercy Gilbert Medical Center has also conducted an internal investigation but has not released its findings.

A police report obtained by NBC affiliate KPNX alleged that the emergency room doctor declared the child dead despite concerns from officers and family members who said the boy was still gasping for air. Hospital staff reportedly attributed the movements to agonal breathing.

More than four hours after the child was placed in the morgue, medical examiners found him breathing, prompting his immediate transfer to Phoenix Children’s Hospital.

According to NBC News, a crowdfunding page created by the family says the child avoided serious brain damage but continues to require medical monitoring and extensive therapy.