Emilie Kiser's husband won't face charge in son's drowning, DA says

Yahoo

2 days ago

The husband of a social media influencer will not be charged in the May death of his 3-year-old son, prosecutors in Arizona said.
Brady Kiser, husband of TikTok and Instagram influencer Emilie Kiser, will not be charged in the drowning death of their son, Trigg, because prosecutors were unlikely to get a conviction in the case, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in a news release July 25.
Trigg Kiser died on May 18 after being pulled from a backyard pool in Chandler, Arizona, six days earlier, police previously told USA TODAY. Court documents said Trigg's death was an accidental drowning in the family's pool.
Police interviewed Brady Kiser
Brady Kiser told police he was watching the couple's newborn son when Trigg fell into the pool on May 12, according to search warrant applications granted by Maricopa County Superior Court judges in May.
Court records included a summarized police interview with Brady Kiser.
Brady Kiser had told Chandler police he was home alone with the couple's two boys on May 12 while his wife was out with friends, the court records said.
He told police he saw Trigg playing near the pool, which was "not uncommon," the court records said. He said the pool usually had a protective cover on it, they said.
Brady Kiser said he was "soon distracted" by their newborn son, Theodore, when he lost sight of Trigg for three to five minutes, the records said. He then found Trigg floating in their backyard pool, they said.
He "immediately" jumped in to help Trigg and called 911, the records said.
The Chandler Police Department on July 15 announced that it recommended a class 4 felony charge of child abuse against Brady Kiser. Police officials previously told The Arizona Republic that criminal charges against parents in child drowning cases were rare.
After "careful review of the evidence," which included surveillance video showing how the drowning occurred, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office determined the case did not meet the standard of a 'reasonable likelihood of conviction,' Mitchell said in the July 25 news release.
Heat wave: Late July's oppressive heat forecast isn't normal
Emilie Kiser's internet fame drove awareness of case
Emilie Kiser is a TikTok celebrity with about 4 million followers, 1.7 million followers on Instagram and has a presence on other social media platforms where she often posted about parenting, her home and also promoted products.
She made her last social media post on May 12 and hasn't spoken publicly since her son's death. Emilie Kiser has also turned off commenting on most of her Instagram and TikTok profiles, while Brady Kiser made his Instagram account private.
Timeline since Emilie Kiser's son died: A drowning, a lawsuit, a possible charge
The Kisers did file a May 27 lawsuit to prevent the release of records about her son's death. In the filing, attorneys said the 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."
That suit has prevented the release of a police report and some other records about the investigation.
In the lawsuit, the Kisers' legal team argued dissemination of the information, which would normally be made available to the public, would violate her family's privacy. A judge ordered officials on June 3 not to disclose any records until lawyers reviewed and discussed their contents.
The legal team later agreed that some records, such as redacted police and medical examiner reports, could be released. But anything made available should balance her privacy against the public's right to know, the Kiser's lawyers said.
Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & [e-mail]
What's everyone talking about? Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: DA says Emilie Kiser's husband won't face charge in son's drowning