A Mother’s Grief and the Struggle for Privacy
Influencer Emilie Kiser has recently addressed critics who have questioned her emotional response to the tragic death of her 3-year-old son, Trigg. In a heartfelt TikTok video, she expressed that she is “very much grieving” and going through a difficult time, emphasizing that social media only shows a small part of her life.
“I’m doing my best, and I’m showing a very small portion because I’m not ready to share other things,” she said. “I’m not ready to talk about other things, and that is okay.”
Kiser explained that she is processing her loss in therapy sessions and with professionals, and that these are not topics she feels comfortable discussing publicly. She added that she is not ready to talk about what happened to her son but is still trying to find a sense of normalcy in her life.
“I’m very much processing the loss of my son,” she said. “But I still think it’s important to share this because I’m just not ready.”
The mom-of-two mentioned that she is no longer sharing her children online, including her surviving son Teddy, who was born in March. She explained that viewers are only seeing the moments she can bear to film.
“It kind of helps me step out of my reality for a second and do my job, which I very much enjoy,” she said. “I genuinely enjoy content creation. That’s why I do it.”
The Pain of Loss and Public Scrutiny
Kiser grew emotional as she addressed those who have questioned her behavior online, stating that unless someone has experienced the loss of a child, they cannot fully understand what it means to grieve. She emphasized that losing a child is the worst pain anyone could endure.
“For people to say, ‘If this were me, I would just be crippled, and I would be thinking about them all day, and I wouldn’t be able to continue on,’ do you not think that everywhere I look in my house, I don’t see my child?” she asked. “His photos are everywhere. His artwork is everywhere. I love that because he’s my child and I never want to forget him. But I’m not showing that on camera.”
She continued by explaining that she is trying to bring some joy into her life, even though the pain of losing Trigg is overwhelming.
The Tragic Incident and Legal Proceedings
Police in Chandler, Arizona, confirmed that Trigg was found unconscious in the family’s backyard pool in May and could not be revived. Authorities stated that the toddler was pulled from the pool on May 12 and later pronounced dead on May 18 after being airlifted to Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Officers were first on the scene and performed CPR before firefighters took over.
Two months later, investigators forwarded a charge recommendation for Kiser’s husband, Brady, who was home at the time, but prosecutors declined to move forward, citing ‘no likelihood of conviction.’ Police reports indicated that Brady was home alone with the couple’s two sons when he became distracted by their infant, Teddy, and lost sight of Trigg for several minutes.
He later told investigators he found the child in the pool, jumped in, and called 911.
A Return to Content Creation and Public Response
Kiser stayed offline for several months before returning in August, writing on Instagram that “loss of this magnitude feels impossible to put into words.” She shared that she had spent “days, weeks, months” trying to process her son’s death and “take the time I’ve needed to digest the loss of my baby.”
She described Trigg as “our baby and our best friend,” highlighting the bright and joyful impact he had on their lives. Kiser also expressed that the pain of losing him is unbearable and that no family should ever have to endure such heartache.
“I take full accountability as Trigg’s mother, and I know I should have done more to protect him,” she wrote. “One of the hardest lessons I carry is that a permanent pool fence could have saved his life, and it’s something I will never overlook again. I hope amidst this pain, Trigg’s story will help prevent other children and families from suffering the same loss.”
Navigating Grief and Social Media
Following the incident, Kiser filed a lawsuit in June asking the court to block the public release of investigative records. Court filings described her as “a mother living every parent’s worst nightmare.” A judge later granted temporary confidentiality to protect her privacy while balancing public access.
In a later statement, she wrote, “The only way through grief is to keep going minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day, and every moment since that day I’ve done my best to keep picking myself up.”
She also reflected on the limits of social media, noting that relationships online lack boundaries, especially in protecting children’s privacy.
