NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport

Olympic great Bode Miller on drowning tragedy: 'I don't think it gets easier'

NZ Herald
23 Dec, 2018 07:40 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The 19-month-old daughter of U.S. Olympic skier Bode Miller drowned in an Orange County swimming pool. Photo / Instagram

The 19-month-old daughter of U.S. Olympic skier Bode Miller drowned in an Orange County swimming pool. Photo / Instagram

Olympic skiing great Bode Miller has opened up on the loss of his daughter Emeline who died in a drowning tragedy seven months ago.

Miller and his wife Morgan Beck welcomed a baby boy two months ago which he said has helped play a part in overcoming the shock death in June.

Emeline Miller passed away on June 10 after her mother, Morgan Beck, found the child floating in the water.

The 19-month-old had slipped out the door of her family's home in Orange County, California, without detection, made her way onto a neighbour's property and ended up in the pool before anyone realised she was gone.

Beck gave birth to the couple's third child in October - a boy. It took the couple three weeks to decide on a name before going with Easton Vaughn Rek Miller who weighed in at a touch under 10 pounds (4.5 kgs).

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Miller said the birth of Easton is helping to heal the pain of losing Emeline.

"If there's one thing that can help to heal and fill that spot in your heart, it's a baby. He's a special one. Besides the lack of sleep, it's been a really nice process to be able to go through." Miller told the NBC's Today show recently.

"There's a blessing to being so busy in a way. Your days go buy really slow because there's a lot of stuff and the kids. That kind of emotional strain is still there. Then the months just fly buy. Any parent can relate to that. It's been unbelievable that it's six months since we lost Emmy…we see the path forward a little bit. It's trying keeping going and stay positive. It's not easy and I don't think it gets much easier."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"The kids talk about her all the time which is really good but obviously hard too. We have to. She's everywhere in our house. You feel the loss but she's still a part of our family."

In an emotional interview on the Today show in July, Miller spoke out about what he sees as a lack of information surrounding water safety.

"It's the number one way that you could potentially lose your kid," the 40-year-old skier said.

"If it's number one for me, I want to know about it. I've been to all the paediatrician meetings and check-ups on our kids — I can't say it's come up one time. Not a single time. "
Bode and Morgan believe the tragic topic should be at the forefront of conversations for new parents.

"This should be the number one thing that we talk about," Morgan said.

"And the same way we check off those milestones for — is your child walking, how many words does your child have — that next question is, have you started swim lessons?

"Putting that in the parents' head as not only do you need to have these barriers but you need to be hyper aware."
The couple announced the passing of their daughter Emeline in mid June, with Bode taking to his personal Instagram page with an emotional post.

"We are beyond devastated. Our baby girl, Emmy, passed away yesterday. Never in a million years did we think we would experience a pain like this," the post read.

"Her love, her light, her spirit will never be forgotten. Our little girl loved life and lived it to it's fullest everyday. Our family respectfully requests privacy during this painful time."

View this post on Instagram

We want to thank our friends, family and every one of you who sent a message, said a prayer or donated for the overwhelming expression of support - we are truly touched and blessed. Our midwives started a gofundme campaign to raise funds and we intend to donate these funds raised to worthwhile causes connected to water safety education. We are inspired to make our baby girls memory go forth and help prevent as many drownings as possible. We will post more soon on our plans and efforts.

A post shared by Bode Miller (@millerbode) on Jun 19, 2018 at 6:22pm PDT

Morgan and Emeline were visiting a neighbour when she fell into the pool and drowned "in the blink of an eye" according to Bode, who wasn't home at the time.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"A child under 30 pounds can drown in 30 seconds and I just keep counting the 30 in my head. That was all I needed," Morgan said.

"It's one of those things where as a parent now when you go to someone else's house, survey the home to see if it's a safe place for your child to be."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Sport

Premium
All Blacks

Robertson shakes up All Blacks with bold squad selection

23 Jun 08:40 AM
Premium
Opinion

Ben Francis: The unlucky five players who missed All Blacks selection

23 Jun 08:10 AM
Football

16 goals, six days and the damage to a 20-year legacy at Fifa Club World Cup

23 Jun 05:00 AM

Anzor’s East Tāmaki hub speeds supply

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Sport

Premium
Robertson shakes up All Blacks with bold squad selection

Robertson shakes up All Blacks with bold squad selection

23 Jun 08:40 AM

Scott Robertson's second year sparks a notable selection shake-up for the All Blacks.

Premium
Ben Francis: The unlucky five players who missed All Blacks selection

Ben Francis: The unlucky five players who missed All Blacks selection

23 Jun 08:10 AM
16 goals, six days and the damage to a 20-year legacy at Fifa Club World Cup

16 goals, six days and the damage to a 20-year legacy at Fifa Club World Cup

23 Jun 05:00 AM
Premium
Gregor Paul: The questions raised by Razor's All Blacks cuts

Gregor Paul: The questions raised by Razor's All Blacks cuts

23 Jun 04:55 AM
Kaibosh gets a clean-energy boost in the fight against food waste
sponsored

Kaibosh gets a clean-energy boost in the fight against food waste

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP