3 days ago
Influencer makes desperate bid to shield public from details of three-year-old son's drowning
Social media influencer Emilie Kiser, 26, has filed a lawsuit against multiple agencies in Arizona to block the details of her three-year-old son's death from the public.
Kiser's son died on May 18 six days after he was found unresponsive in a backyard pool in Arizona, according to Chandler Police Department.
Kiser is a popular mommy blogger with four million followers on TikTok and frequently shares her life as a mother on the platform.
The influencer filed a lawsuit using her maiden name, Henrichsen, on Tuesday against the City of Chandler, Chandler Police Department, Maricopa County, the county's medical examiner's office, and other agencies to permanently block public access to records related to her son, Trigg's, death.
The lawsuit said that Kiser was 'going through a parent's worst nightmare right now' and the family 'desperately wanted to grieve in private.'
'Trigg's death has become a media frenzy. Appallingly, 100+ public record requests have been filed with both the City of Chandler and the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office,' the lawsuit continued.
'Emilie is trying her best to be there for her surviving son, two-month-old Theodore. But every day is a battle,' the suit said.
Kiser's attorneys argued that the records presumably contain 'graphic, distressing, and intimate details' of the toddler's death.
They continued that public access to the records 'has no bearing on government accountability.'
'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 added.
The suit said that Kiser or her representation haven't reviewed the police report, security camera footage, scene photos, 911 recording, or autopsy photos.
Kiser's lawyers added that the records weren't available to them, and the influencer doesn't intend to ever view the documents.
In response to the lawsuit, Jason Berry, the director of communications for Maricopa County, which was named as a defendant, told NBC News, '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.'
Kiser's son, Trigg, died on May 18 after a drowning incident at the family's home on May 12.
A neighbor told at the time that the influencer's house was swarmed with five police cars after the incident.
Emergency responders arrived and performed life-saving efforts until Trigg was airlifted to Phoenix Children's Hospital for specialized care.
Kiser hasn't posted since the tragedy, but her followers flooded her accounts with messages of support and condolences before she turned off her comment sections.
The Arizona influencer and her husband, Brady, became parents to Trigg in July 2021.
The couple revealed they were having another child in September 2024, posting a photo of Kiser's sonogram with the caption, 'WE GOTTA BABY GROWING.'
'We can not wait to add another angel to our family. Whatever you are, we love you so much already.'
In March, the family announced the arrival of their second son, Teddy, writing on Instagram, 'We love you so much and our hearts feel like they are going to burst.'
