Influencer Emilie Kiser files lawsuit to keep details of 3-year-old son's death private
Arizona influencer Emilie Kiser filed a lawsuit Tuesday against multiple Maricopa County public offices to keep records of her 3-year-old son's death private.
Trigg Kiser was pronounced dead on May 18, six days after he was pulled unconscious from a backyard pool, according to the Chandler Police Department. He was hospitalized in critical condition until his death, NBC affiliate KPNX of Phoenix reported.
Emilie Kiser — the 26-year-old influencer who built a TikTok following of 3.4 million for her mom-and-wife lifestyle content — filed the suit over privacy concerns. Kiser also has a 2-month-old son, Theodore, with husband Brady Kiser.
"Emilie and her family desperately want to grieve in private, but sadly, the public will not let them," the suit read. "Trigg's death has become a media frenzy."
More than 100 public records requests have been filed with the city of Chandler and Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office since Trigg's death, which was accidental, according to the lawsuit.
Kiser has not reviewed any of the records requested, including the police report, security camera footage, body camera footage or autopsy reports, the suit stated, nor does she intend to.
Authorities found a 3-year-old unconscious and being pulled out of a pool when they responded to the drowning call in Chandler, about 20 miles southeast of Phoenix, on May 12, KPNX reported. The Chandler Fire Department previously told KPNX that police officers were the first to arrive and began CPR until firefighters arrived.
The lawsuit cites Arizona law recognizing that family members have a compelling privacy interest related to the death of a loved one.
"Disclosure of graphic or intimate death-related records causes renewed trauma to surviving family members and violates their right to grieve privately," the suit reads.
A number of municipal offices were named as defendants in the suit, including the city of Chandler, the Chandler Police Department and Maricopa County.
"When Maricopa County learned the family was pursuing a court order to prevent the release of these records, the Office of the Medical Examiner worked with the family to place a seal on the record," Jason Berry, director of communications for Maricopa County, told NBC News on Thursday.
Spokespeople for the city of Chandler and Chandler Police Department told NBC News on Thursday the offices do not comment on pending litigation.
Kiser's lawyers did not immediately respond to NBC News' requests for comment. Kiser has not posted on social media since May 12.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
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