Social media influencer Emilie Kiser’s 3-year-old son Trigg was in the pool for about seven minutes before his father found him unconscious, according to a redacted report from the Chandler Police Department (CPD) on Friday.
Why It Matters
Trigg Kiser was found in the pool in the backyard of the Kiser’s family home by his father, Brady Kiser, in Chandler, Arizona, on May 12. He died in the hospital six days later on May 18.
What To Know
Brady was home with Trigg and the couple’s newborn son at the time of the incident. Emilie Kiser was out with friends at the time, CPD’s report said.
Brady told officers who responded to their home that he had been looking after the baby and lost sight of Trigg for about five minutes. Later at the hospital, he told an officer that he was not sure if he had lost sight of his son for three or five minutes.
According to the police report, Trigg was unsupervised in the backyard for more than nine minutes “while playing around the unsecured pool and unable to swim.”
The report said that it was clear from surveillance video that the child “did not go into the water intentionally, rather he tripped and fell in while playing with an inflatable chair.”
According to the CPD, Trigg was in the backyard from about 6:29 p.m. until his father found him in the pool at 6:39 p.m.
“He was in the water from 18:32:15 until 18:39:07,” the report said, which added that there was no evidence to suggest his father saw him in the pool and failed to act, but that it was clear that Brady’s attention “was divided” and he was not watching his son “at all during the critical times mentioned.”
The CPD had recommended Brady face a class 4 felony charge of child abuse.
The report said that decision was based on several factors, including that Brady knew there was no cover on the pool, that he knew Trigg was in the backyard and did not know how to swim and that his statements did not match what was seen on surveillance footage.
“This leads to the conclusion that Brady was not aware of what [Trigg] was doing and was not watching him,” the report said.
However, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office announced on July 25 that he would not be charged because there is “no reasonable likelihood of conviction.”
Days later, Emilie Kiser’s legal team field a request to remove details from two pages of the police report—which Arizona Superior Court for Maricopa Count granted on Friday.
Her lawyer Shannon Clark said the pages “detail the graphic final moments of Trigg’s life.”
Newsweek has contacted Clark for further comment via email.
Who Is Emilie Kiser?
Emilie is a popular content creator in Arizona who has built a large audience on TikTok and Instagram. She is known for sharing candid insights into her life as a young mother, posting content focused on parenting, home routines and family life.
She has 4.1 million followers on TikTok and 1.7 million on Instagram.
With millions of followers, her social media presence has made her a recognizable figure among online parenting communities.
Emilie and her husband became parents for the first time in July 2021 with Trigg’s birth. Last year, they shared with followers that they were expecting their second child.
In March, the couple welcomed another son, Teddy. She marked the occasion with a post on Instagram, expressing gratitude for her growing family and the support of Brady, describing him as “my rock.” She added, “The love I have for my boys is infinite.”
What People Are Saying
Shannon Clark said in a statement to People magazine: “We’re grateful to Judge Whitten for carefully balancing the important interests at stake and allowing a narrow but meaningful redaction to the Chandler police report, removing two pages that detail the graphic final moments of Trigg’s life.”
It added: “These redactions do not alter any material facts of the accident, but they protect the dignity of a little boy whose memory should reflect the love and light he brought to the world.”
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said in a statement on July 25: “Every case submitted to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office is evaluated using the same standard: whether there is a ‘reasonable likelihood of conviction.’ After careful review of the evidence submitted by Chandler PD, it was determined this case does not meet that standard. MCAO’s review of the case involved the attorneys assigned to it, along with highly experienced senior attorneys and the County Attorney herself.”
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