TikTok star Emilie Kiser speaks for the first time following 3-year-old son’s pool drowning

CHANDLER, Ariz. (KPHO/Gray News) – A social media influencer is speaking for the first time following the loss of her toddler son earlier this year.

Back in May, 3-year-old Trigg Kiser, son of TikTok influencer Emilie Kiser, died after being pulled from the family’s backyard pool in Chandler, Arizona.

After the loss, Kiser – who has over 4 million TikTok followers – did not post on her social media for several months.

On Thursday, Kiser shared a lengthy statement on TikTok, thanking family and her audience for supporting her through the loss of her son. The influencer also shared that she takes accountability for not having a fence around her pool.

“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 the suffering the same loss.”

She continued:

“Trigg is our baby and our best friend. The light and spirit he brought into this world was bright, pure, joyful and undeniable. We miss him every second of every day and continuing forward often feels unbearable. I never thought we would experience grief in this way or the pain of losing him so suddenly. It’s a pain, heartache, void that no family should ever have to endure.”

Kiser then spoke about how the loss of Trigg has culminated to lack of privacy online. Earlier this year, the TikTok star filed a lawsuit to keep some details of the tragedy private.

She wrote:

“I now have seen through this tragedy how relationships online lack boundaries, especially in protecting children’s privacy. Moving forward, I will be establishing more boundaries with what I share online. In the future, I hope to be in a place to share more about how I am navigating this grief, but right now, all I can say is thank you for the love, compassion, patience and space you’ve given us to grieve. I am more grateful for it than can ever be expressed.”

Reports from Chandler police detailed how Emilie Kiser’s husband Brady Kiser was occupied with the couple’s newborn baby and a basketball game at the time of Trigg’s death. The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office then announced that charges were declined against him due to a unlikelihood of conviction.