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Influencer Emilie Kiser says installing a permanent pool fence could have saved the life of her 3-year-old son, who drowned in May.
Trigg Kiser died after being hospitalised in critical condition for several days after being submerged in the family’s backyard pool in Chandler, Arizona, United States.
Emiliesaid on a social media post yesterday, which broke her silence, that as Trigg’s mother, she takes full accountability for his death.
“One of the hardest lessons I carry is that a permanent pool fence could have saved his life, and it’s something I will never overlook again.
“I hope amidst this pain, Trigg’s story will help prevent other children and families from suffering the same loss.”
Emilie‘s husband, Brady Kiser, who was supervising Trigg and their then-newborn son Theodore while Emilie was out with friends, was alleged to have been distracted by online sports betting at the time of the pool incident.
According to the New York Post, phone data shows the boy’s father was placing bets on an NBA playoff game one hour before his son died.
He told authorities he looked away from the child for three to five minutes and later found him in the pool.
However, a Chandler Police Department report, obtained by People, revealed that video evidence showed Trigg was unsupervised for at least nine minutes and was in the water for seven minutes.
“Brady’s statements do not match what is seen on the video.
“This leads to the conclusion that Brady was not aware of what [Trigg] was doing and was not watching him”, the police report said.
Influencer Emilie Kiser (left), husband Brady Kiser and their son Trigg. Emilie recently made a post detailing the pain of Trigg's death. Photo / emiliekiser
Investigators also noted the family’s pool safety cover had not been on for days before the tragedy, People reported.
Police recommended Brady face a class 4 felony charge of child abuse, but the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office decided not to prosecute because there was “no likelihood of a conviction”, according to the outlet.
In the Instagram post, Emilie Kiser said the family misses Trigg “every second of every day” and that “continuing forward often feels unbearable”.
The 26-year-old also thanked friends, family and her audience for the support she’s received.
“The only way through grief is to keep going minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day, and every moment since that day I’ve done my best to keep picking myself up.”
The post also said her son’s death has shown her “how relationships online lack boundaries, especially in protecting children’s privacy”.
“Moving forward, I will be establishing more boundaries with what I share online,” she said.
