We know of 13 cases nationwide of kids who swallowed the magnets from the toys. According to their families, many of the children were on death's doorstep when the tiny magnets pulled together inside their intestines.

We just learned about that 13th victim, a baby from Flint, Michigan.

At 10 months old, Jack Locey has a battle scar. His body was at war with a toy, but no one knew it.

"It was gut-wrenching," said Jack's father, Mark Locey.

In June, Jack got sick and couldn't stop throwing up. X-rays revealed a two-inch rod in his stomach. Locey says emergency room doctors didn't know what it was, but thought it would pass.

But Jack's pediatrician was skeptical about a 'wait and see' approach. The pediatrician did a Google search which led to magnet warnings and to our news reports about four children -- three in Washington and one in California -- who swallowed magnets that came loose from a Magnetix building set. The magnets had to be surgically removed.

"The doctor discovered about the little boy in Seattle," said Mark. He read how ingesting more than one magnet can kill.

It happened to 20-month-old Kenny Sweet last Thanksgiving. "The pain will never go away, It will always remain," said Kenny's mom, Penny, during a May interview.

The magnets twisted his small intestine and wore a hole in the intestinal lining. Deadly bacteria leaked into the toddler's blood stream. Kenny died on Thanksgiving day 2005.

The Locey's knew their older son had a set of Magnetix. They didn't know if the magnets fell out.

But an X-ray confirmed it: what they thought was a rod, was actually 13 magnets stuck together.

Doctors got it out and sent Jack home. Fifteen days later, something wasn't right. Two more magnets were embedded in his esophagus. They had to be surgically removed.

"Having seen that story about the family in Seattle, we are so thankful for our ending," said Cindy Locey.

"It was very, very, dicey surgery," said Seattle attorney Sim Osborn.

Osborn represents Kenny's family and 12 others, whose kids have swallowed magnets that came loose from a Magnetix toy.

Most of the cases surfaced after our investigation helped trigger a nationwide recall for Magnetix building sets purchased before April. The recall effects nearly 4 million toys.

The manufacturer, Mega Brands, sticks to its original response. They say Magnetix meet all federal and international safety standards, and that parents are the first line of defense.

"They're still breaking, kids are still getting a hold of them and they're still swallowing the magnets it's still happening," insists Osborn. He says he's aware of other cases in the nation too - some of those children put the magnets in their ears or up their noses.

Jack Locey is doing well and expected to make a full recovery

Back in April I asked Mega Brands if they'd consider adding warning labels about mangets.

They told me they'd study the idea. Five months later, they decided to ad a warning label.

It reads: "Caution: do not ingest or inhale magnets. Attraction of magnets in the body may cause serious injury and require immediate medical care."

Mega Brands tells KOMO 4 News the new labels should be on store shelves now or very soon.

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