Mom Influencer Emilie Kiser Sues to Keep Her 3-Year-Old Son's Death Records Private
Arizona-based influencer Emilie Kiser has filed a lawsuit to keep the investigative records of her three-year-old son's drowning private.
On May 18, Trigg Kiser, son of the mega-popular mom influencer, died following a drowning incident. The drowning, which happened on May 12, took place at the Kiser family home in Chandler, a suburb of Phoenix. According to the Chandler Police Department, the circumstances surrounding the incident are still under investigation. 'Out of respect for the family's privacy, we will not be releasing additional details until the investigation is closed,' said Chandler police spokesperson Sonu Wasu.
More from Rolling Stone
Why Are Health Influencers Drinking Raw Milk and Honey Shots at the White House?
A Momfluencer's Son Drowned. Now Other Parents Are Rethinking How Much They Share Online
How Kip Williams Remade 'Dorian Gray' for the TikTok Generation
Emilie Kiser, 26, has 4 million followers on TikTok and rose to viral fame by sharing videos of her everyday life as a mom and wife. Her eldest son, Trigg, was often featured in her videos, and the news of his passing was met with an intense parasocial reaction, with viewers combing through Emilie's videos for proof of whether or not she had followed safety regulations, and even searching government websites for proof of Trigg's death. Now, in the wake of the tragedy, Emilie has filed a lawsuit to keep the details of the incident private.
The lawsuit was filed on May 27 and lists Emilie as the plaintiff (though she is listed under her maiden name). 'Emilie is going through a parent's worst nightmare right now,' reads the lawsuit. 'Emilie and her family desperately want to grieve in private but sadly, the public will not let them. Trigg's death has become a media frenzy.' Emilie is 'trying her best to be there for her surviving two-month-old son, Theodore', the lawsuit says, but 'every day is a battle.'
The records could include 911 calls, the autopsy report, photos of the scene, the police report, 'graphic security camera footage of the accidental drowning', autopsy photos, and a death certificate, according to the lawsuit. The records have not been made available to Emilie or her counsel, the lawsuit says. 'Nor does Emilie wish to ever view them.'
The lawsuit notes that over 100 public records requests have been filed with the City of Chandler and the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's office for investigative records related to Trigg's death. 'To allow disclosure in these circumstances would be to turn Arizona's Public Records Law into a weapon of emotional harm, rather than a tool of government transparency,' the lawsuit reads. Arizona Public Records Laws do include exceptions, including cases in which the release of a record would 'constitute an invasion of personal privacy and that invasion outweighs the public's right to know,' according to the National Freedom of Information Coalition. The lawsuit contended that the requests for the records related to Trigg's death were 'for commercial purposes' though Arizona law does not regard the requesting of records for journalistic purposes to be commercial. As such, if records were being requested related to Trigg's death for the purpose of news gathering, this exception may not apply. However the suit does not note who filed the requests.
'Trigg's untimely passing is a deeply personal and private family matter,' the lawsuit says, noting that the public was 'not involved in his passing' and the government was only 'tangentially involved' when first responders arrived at the home in response to a 911 call. 'Emilie and her family will suffer specific, material, and irreparable harm if the investigative records are released to the public.'
The defendants include the City of Chandler, the Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner, and the Arizona Department of Health Services Bureau of Vital Records. None of the agencies immediately responded to Rolling Stone's requests for comment. 'Emilie respectfully urges this Court to prevent the profound invasion of privacy that would result from the public disclosure of these sensitive materials,' the lawsuit reads. Emilie prays that the Court either enter an order permanently blocking the defendants from granting public access to the investigative or post-mortem records or that the court review the records before they are released to decide 'what, if any, information may be lawfully disclosed.' As part of the lawsuit, Emilie filed a four-page declaration, which has been entirely redacted.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning deaths are on the rise. Drowning is the leading cause of death in children between the ages of one and four.
Best of Rolling Stone
Every Super Bowl Halftime Show, Ranked From Worst to Best
The United States of Weed
Gaming Levels Up
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Stourbridge choir releases song to celebrate historic women's strike
A COMMUNITY choir has released a song to celebrate the women chainmakers' strike. Stourbridge-based In Sound Company have highlighted the historical 1910 strike with their song, The Chainmaking Women of the Black Country. The chainmakers' strike was a pivotal event in 1910 where women, producing chains for the ship industry, protested against poor wages and working conditions. Their actions led to improved pay for many women in the area at the time. Richard Newhall, who penned and produced the piece, said: "I came up with the idea following a visit to the Black Country Living Museum several years ago, but it only began to crystalise during lockdown. "The strike is an important piece of social history, both locally and nationally, yet is not widely known about in the area. "I wanted to do something to tell their story, and hope that it resonates with many people. "The audience reaction at the concert was amazing." The song premiered live at Stourbridge Town Hall in March. It is now available on music streaming services. Judith Moreland, co-arranger and musical director, said: "The fact that some choir members have family connections to the chain-making industry make this song extra special for us. "The lyrics, sometimes using Black Country dialect, describe the terrible conditions that the women worked in and their strike for better pay. "It is dramatic, moving and inspiring in equal measure. "Chainmaking Women has become one of the choir's absolute favourites." The song will be featured on Black Country Radio's Omma 'n' Chain Show every Sunday throughout June. It is also available to play or download from various music streaming services, and a storyline video has been released on ISC's YouTube channel at In Sound Company is keen to welcome new members. Rehearsals take place on Monday evenings during term-time, and no auditions are required. More details can be found on their website.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Dallas Wings Get Bad News on Monday
Dallas Wings Get Bad News on Monday originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Dallas Wings will take the court without their rookie point guard Paige Bueckers on Tuesday night against the Seattle Storm after she was ruled out under the WNBA's concussion protocol on Monday. Advertisement Bueckers, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, sustained the injury late in Thursday's 97-92 loss to the Chicago Sky, and Dallas-based reporter Grant Afseth announced on X that she would miss at least Tuesday's game. This latest setback comes as the Wings continue to search for their identity early in the season, sitting at 1-6 after back-to-back losses to Chicago, tied for last place in the league standings. Despite the lofty expectations surrounding Bueckers entering her rookie campaign, the Wings have struggled to gain traction. In 2024, Dallas finished with a 9-31 record, ranking fifth in the WNBA's Western Conference under head coach Latricia Trammell. Advertisement Entering 2025, Dallas hoped to improve upon that record by blending veteran scorers like Arike Ogunbowale (22.2 points per game last season) and emerging talent in NaLyssa Smith, Maddy Siegrist, DiJonai Carrington and Bueckers. However, the season has not gone as planned. Dallas Wings guards Paige Bueckers (5) and DiJonai Carrington (21).David Butler II-Imagn Images After opening the year with four straight defeats, the Wings finally notched a win against the Connecticut Sun on May 27 with a 109-87 victory featuring 21 points, seven assists and five rebounds from Bueckers. Unfortunately, they followed that up with consecutive losses to the Sky. Through her first six games, Bueckers was averaging 14.7 points, 6.7 assists and 4.7 rebounds per contest, while leading the team in assists, steals (2.0) and blocks (1.0). Advertisement Related: Lexie Hull's Mother Sends Indiana Fever Message After Third Straight Loss Related: Angel Reese Sends Message After Announcement on Friday This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
Business of Fashion
an hour ago
- Business of Fashion
Why Brands Are Still Betting on the US
Serena Uziyel isn't giving up on the US. Over the last year, the Istanbul-based luxury shoe brand has opened two stores in Florida and one in New York in what is now its second-largest market after Turkey. The brand hopes to open more stores in Florida, as well as new markets like California and Texas. Those plans were made before the Trump administration unleashed its tariffs, and when the US economy was on more solid footing. But the brand has no intention of changing course now. 'We know how to deal with it, so we are not going to change our plans,' said chief executive Nadir Celik. It helps that the brand has experience navigating economic turbulence and high inflation in Turkey, he added. Countless brands are making their own assessment of whether trying for a slice of the world's biggest fashion market is still worth the investment. All signs point to a weak economy with consumer confidence plummeting as the costs for essential goods like eggs go up. Retail sales on discretionary items fell in April. Trump's trade policy is also in flux, with the Supreme Court potentially weighing in on whether he can impose tariffs on dozens of countries on top of a 10 percent global levy that went into effect in April. Investing in America could be a costly mistake in a worst case scenario, where Trump imposes prohibitive tariffs, the economy enters a deep recession, or both. But missing out if the turbulence is milder than expected has its own costs. Brands operating in the US are moving quickly to protect themselves, such as by reconfiguring their supply chains to minimise potential tariffs, or operating on parallel tracks, growing their US presence while speeding up expansion elsewhere. For many, the choice to stay is clear – the market is simply too big to ignore. 'America as an economy is too important to be canceled,' said the Switzerland-based designer Philipp Plein. 'People have money to spend; people will keep on spending money.' A Resilient Market Philipp Plein International Group is going ahead with a number of US store openings for its Plein Sport activewear brand, as it looks to at least double sales for that business to $40 million, Plein said. The line is made in China, where Trump has slapped 30 percent duties on all products, but he's betting that the tariff uproar won't be as detrimental as many fear. He's even more confident in the American consumer. He noted the country's economy bounced back quickly after Covid compared to other leading economies like China, which has struggled to recover from the pandemic. Brands are also banking on customer loyalty to get them through a potential rough patch. When it comes to customers, 'once we get, them we keep them,' said Peta Heinsen, co-founder and director of the Australian womenswear brand Matteau. Heinsen said the label aims to have more than half its sales come from the US, up from 35 percent today. If US customers replicate a 70 percent global repeat purchase rate, they'll get there, tariffs or no tariffs, Heinsen said. The more that happens in the US, 'we can see huge potential without having to do too much more than we're already doing,' she said. Supply Chain Alignment Where brands are changing course, it's often behind the scenes. Ever-changing tariffs have underscored the need for brands to have a global supply chain — particularly one that isn't wholly dependent on China. The more suppliers and factories in its network, the more flexible a brand can be in relocating production when the cost of doing business increases. Diversified supply chains will help in most tariff scenarios, experts say. Several brand founders cited Portugal, Turkey and India as countries with relatively low manufacturing costs that were likely to dodge the highest tariffs. In February, Matteau moved production of its swimwear line from China to Portugal, sidestepping the roller coaster ride in April and May that saw tariffs on Chinese imports set as high as 145 percent before temporarily settling at their current level. (Whether the brand's bet pays off in the long run remains to be seen; in late May, Trump threatened a 50 percent tariff on goods from the European Union). After moving into 1,700 Target stores, supplement maker Imaraïs Beauty is in talks to move production of its gummy supplements from Canada to the US so it can keep its big new retail customer consistently supplied without having to pay tariffs. 'As a brand, and a brand owner, you're putting out fires nonstop,' said co-founder and chief executive Aaron Hefter. 'This is a forest fire.' With a trade war still brewing and consumer sentiment in flux, brands have to move forward with their growth plans while minimising any threats to their business, said Anshuman Jaiswal, chief business officer at software firm OnePint, which helps global businesses manage inventory. 'The only thing that you can control is, 'Can I have more risk cushion in my business plan?'' Jaiswal said.
