Emilie Kiser is speaking out about her and husband Brady Kiser’s youngest son, Theodore “Teddy” Kiser, not wearing a life jacket the entire time he was on a boat.
“Our child should have been in his life jacket for the entirety of that boat ride, not even for the few moments that he was out of it. We are painfully aware that in a matter of seconds, your entire life can change and we should have done better,” Emilie, 27, wrote via her Instagram Story on Tuesday, July 28. “We recognize and appreciate the genuine care that people have for our children. There has also been a deep level of anger and hurt directed toward our family and we understand the basis of those feelings as well.”
She continued, “It comes from the belief that Trigg should still be here and we share that same belief more than can be expressed. He was only three years old and should have lived a lifetime more. That reality lives with us every moment of every single day.”
Emilie vowed that she will “continue to do better, advocate for better and, as hard as we try to avoid them, still make mistakes.”
“We can only promise that we will never stop learning from them and continue loving our children with everything we have,” Emilie concluded, signing the statement with her name.
Emilie’s statement comes more than one year after her and Brady’s eldest son, Trigg, died at age 3 after being pulled unconscious from the family’s backyard pool. Authorities subsequently submitted a criminal charge recommendation for Brady, but the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office shared in a statement that there was “no likelihood of conviction.”
Emilie, who was just over one month postpartum at the time of Trigg’s death, has been open about navigating parenthood with Teddy, 16 months, while dealing with grief.
“That’s an element that has been hard in parenting him, is realizing that there is only so much I can control,” she said during a June appearance on the “On Purpose With Jay Shetty” podcast. “I always try to remind myself that I have a choice to make. I can either let this completely derail me more than it already has and not really feel like I’m fit or able to take care of my younger son. Or I can do everything in my power to be the best mom I possibly can for him. And give him the same love that Trigg had and has.”
She continued: “And I made a promise to Trigg right before we lost him that I was going to take care of Teddy. That was actually my final promise to him was like, ‘I will take care of your brother.’ Because at that time, I felt like I couldn’t. It really just was too much. I couldn’t even take care of myself. But that has kept me going of, ‘I made a promise. I’m going to fulfill it and I’m gonna give Teddy the best life I possibly can.’ And that means showing up for him, showing up for myself. Doing everything I possibly can to make sure that that happens.”
Emilie announced one month later that she and Brady are expecting their third baby. At the time, Emilie shared in a statement that the couple is “so grateful and excited to share that we will be welcoming another baby into our family .”
“This news feels very surreal and has already been such a bright light to us during some of our darkest days,” Emilie wrote via Instagram at the time. “As I stated last year, my family’s privacy will always be my priority. Because of that, I’m not sure how much I will be sharing about this pregnancy and next phase of life, but I appreciate your understanding as I navigate those boundaries.”
She continued: “This baby has already brought so much hope and joy into our home, and we are treasuring every moment of it together. Thank you in advance for all of the love, well wishes, and support as we navigate this next chapter of our growing family. Love you guys.”
