New details in Emilie Kiser's son's death: Husband told police how boy fell into pool

USA Today

11 hours ago

Brady Kiser, the husband of social media influencer Emilie Kiser, told police he was watching their newborn when their 3-year-old son Trigg fell into the backyard pool and accidentally drowned, according to search warrant applications obtained by The Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network.
Trigg Kiser died on May 18 after being pulled from the family's pool in Chandler, Arizona, six days earlier, according to police and court documents.
In the weeks since Trigg's death, the Kiser family has pushed to conceal records that would ordinarily be public; Emilie Kiser filed a lawsuit to prevent the release of such records on May 27.
The search warrant applications, which were granted by Maricopa County Superior Court judges in May and include sworn police affidavits detailing an interview with Brady Kiser, offer new details about the moments leading up to Trigg falling into the pool.
Brady Kiser told Chandler police he was home alone with the two boys at the time. Emilie Kiser was out with friends, her husband told police.
New details in Trigg Kiser's drowning death
Brady Kiser told police he lost sight of Trigg for three to five minutes before finding the boy floating in the pool, according to the applications.
Trigg went to the backyard to play after he finished eating, Brady Kiser told police. The father said he saw Trigg playing near the pool, which the police records said was "not uncommon." Brady Kiser told police the pool usually had a protective cover on it, according to the records.
Brady Kiser was "soon distracted" by his newborn son, the police records said. Once he saw that Trigg was in the pool, he jumped in to get the boy and called 911, according to the records.
Investigators filed the search warrant applications on May 13 to obtain video surveillance from two outdoor cameras in the backyard so they could corroborate Brady Kiser's statement, the records said.
Has Emilie Kiser spoken out about Trigg's death?
Emilie Kiser, who has 4 million followers on TikTok, hasn't publicly spoken out since her son's death. Her last social media post was on May 12.
Since Trigg's death, Emilie Kiser has turned off commenting on most of her Instagram and TikTok profiles, and Brady Kiser has made his Instagram account private.
The family's only statement has come in the form of the May 27 lawsuit pushing to keep public records about the 3-year-old's tragic death private.
In the filing, Kiser's attorneys said that she and her family "desperately want to grieve in private, but sadly, the public will not let them," adding that her son's death "has become a media frenzy."
"Emilie is trying her best to be there for her surviving son, two-month-old Theodore," the lawsuit says. "But every day is a battle."
Emilie Kiser lawsuit: Why public records could be released despite request for privacy
Emilie Kiser lawsuit: What has happened so far?
Kiser is suing several public agencies to prohibit officials from releasing public documents related to Trigg's death, including the police report, 911 call and scene photos.
According to the initial complaint, Kiser and her counsel have not seen the documents, but they presume they are "exceptionally raw and graphic." The release of such records would "intrude upon personal dignity or cause unnecessary harm" to Kiser and her family, the lawsuit says.
Gallagher & Kennedy, the firm representing Kiser, has not responded to USA TODAY's requests for comment.
The first hearing in Kiser's case was held on June 3. According to The Republic, Kiser's attorney Kevin O'Malley said during the hearing that some redacted documents are likely "appropriate" for public release.
As a result of the hearing, the parties in the case agreed to an interim order prohibiting the dissemination of the public records in question, according to court filings obtained by USA TODAY. Kiser's attorneys also filed a notice to dismiss some agencies from the lawsuit, and the court sealed a declaration Kiser wrote about this case.
Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at [e-mail].