An official cause of death for Emilie Kiser’s 3-year-old son Trigg has been determined more than a year after his tragic death.
According to the Maricopa County medical examiner’s report obtained by People on Tuesday, August 25, Trigg died of anoxic brain injury due to drowning.
Anoxic brain injury occurs when cells in the brain do not receive enough oxygen, according to the Brain Injury Association of America.
The medical examiner’s report listed Trigg’s manner of death as an accident, and the document stated that the injury occurred after he “drowned in a residential pool.”
In May 2025, Us confirmed that Emilie and husband Brady Kiser’s eldest child died at the age of 3 after being found unconscious in the family’s pool. (The couple are also parents to Teddy, 17 months, and are expecting their third baby.)
“Loss of this magnitude feels impossible to put into words,” Emilie wrote via Instagram in August 2025. “I’ve spent days, weeks, months trying to find them and also take the time I’ve needed to digest the loss of my baby. 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.”
Authorities initially recommended pressing criminal charges against Brady, 29, because he was the only adult home at the time of the accident. The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office ultimately decided against it because there was “no likelihood of conviction.”
When the first anniversary of Trigg’s death hit in May, Emilie admitted she was “really struggling” with her grief.
“This month has snuck up on us in a way we could have never anticipated,” she said via TikTok on May 10. “It’s just incredibly hard to process that it’s been almost a year. … I just miss him so much. I am just really struggling.”
While appearing on Jay Shetty’s “On Purpose” podcast in June, Emilie shared how she came to forgive Brady, revealing it was a process they went through together.
“I really give Brady so much empathy and respect. I have so much respect for him, honestly, and I think that would maybe shock people, but he has allowed me to take out every emotion I’ve had throughout this process, whether it’s on him or talking to him or with other people,” she said at the time. “He’s going through so much as well, and … we are the only two people that can understand at all what the other person is going through.”
Emilie first developed a following on social media after posting videos of her day-to-day life. While sharing personal family stories or documenting lifestyle tips, the influencer received more than 2 million followers on Instagram and another 5 million on TikTok.
Most recently, she has used her platform to spread awareness about water safety in hopes others will not experience a loss like hers.
“This is a topic I will continue to talk about when I feel comfortable because it is so extremely hard to talk about,” Emilie shared via TikTok on April 30. “I hope people can understand that. Like I said, our son’s death was very preventable. It was an accident, but it was a preventable accident. I will always take full accountability for that because as a parent, it is your job to protect your child.”
For more vital, life-saving information on pool safety, see Bode Miller’s tips and visit Coverstar’s website.
