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Influencer Emilie Kiser secured a legal win following the death of her and husband Brady Kiser‘s 3-year-old son, Trigg.
An Arizona court ruled in Emilie’s favor on Friday, August 8, after the social media personality filed to censor two pages from the Chandler Police Department’s report, which include details about the accidental drowning of her son. (Emilie initially filed the motion to seal the documents late last month.)
“We’re grateful to Judge Whitten for carefully balancing the important interests at stake and allowing a narrow but meaningful redaction to the Chandler police report, removing two pages that detail the graphic final moments of Trigg’s life,” Emilie’s attorney Shannon Clark told People in a statement on Friday. “These redactions do not alter any material facts of the accident, but they protect the dignity of a little boy whose memory should reflect the love and light he brought to the world.”
The statement concluded, “From the start, this has been about protecting Trigg and the family’s ability to grieve privately. This decision allows them, and the public, to remember him for the beautiful life he lived, not the tragic way it ended.”
Us Weekly previously confirmed that the 26-year-old TikTok star’s eldest son, Trigg, died on May 18 after being discovered unconscious in the family’s backyard pool on May 12.
“The investigation into the circumstances surrounding this incident remain ongoing. “This is still an open investigation,” the Chandler Police Department in Arizona told Us in a statement at the time. “Out of respect for the family’s privacy, we will not be releasing additional details until the investigation is closed.”
In June, USA Today obtained search warrant applications in which Brady, 28, told authorities he was home alone watching Trigg and his and Emilie’s 2-month-old son, Teddy, when the tragic incident occurred. Emilie, meanwhile, was out with friends.
According to Brady, who married Emilie in 2019, Trigg went to the backyard to play after he finished eating. Brady saw Trigg playing near the pool, which was “not uncommon.” However, the pool usually had a protective cover on it. Brady told authorities that he was “soon distracted” by Teddy and lost sight of Trigg for three to five minutes before finding his eldest son floating in the pool. He then jumped in to retrieve Trigg and called 911.
The search warrant applications were filed in May to obtain video surveillance from two cameras in the backyard to verify Brady’s statement.
In July, the Chandler Police Department confirmed their investigation resulted in the recommendation of a felony child abuse charge against Brady.
“The Chandler Police Department has completed its investigation into the tragic drowning of 3-year-old Trigg Kiser. Following a thorough review of the evidence, investigators have recommended a Class 4 felony charge of child abuse against Brady Kiser,” a July 15 statement read. “The case has now been submitted to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office for review.”
Arizona Central reported at the time that police began considering pursuing the child abuse charge prior to Trigg’s death. A statement from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office released on July 25 confirmed that Brady would not be facing charges.
Emilie sought to block the public from seeing the now-redacted documents because they allegedly showed the reasoning behind the police’s recommendation of criminal charges. (Emilie claimed that she hoped to redact the documents to stop possible “disturbing” content, such as reenactments with artificial intelligence.)
“The section of the report Ms. Kiser seeks to redact contains information and context that is critical to provide the public a reasonably full understanding of the investigation of the drowning, the police department’s decision to recommend criminal charges and the county attorney’s decision not to pursue criminal charges,” Matthew Kelley a lawyer for The Arizona Republic said at the time.
If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453. For more vital, life-saving information on pool safety, see Bode Miller’s tips and visit Coverstar’s website during Water Safety Awareness Month.