Emilie Kiser is spreading awareness for drowning prevention nearly one year after her 3-year-old son Trigg’s tragic death.
“Our son Trigg passed away from a preventable drowning accident,” Kiser said in a TikTok video uploaded on Thursday, April 30. “This video is about my son Trigg and hopefully helping other families and other children. This is a topic I will continue to talk about when I feel comfortable because it is extremely hard to talk about. I hope people can understand that.”
Kiser reiterated that Trigg’s death, which occurred in 2025, was “a preventable accident.”
“I will always take full accountability for that because as a parent it is your job to protect your child,” she said.
Kiser shared that “drownings happen every single day” and drowning is the “number one cause of death” in children from ages one to four.
“That is an extremely hard statistic to swallow because I truly just can’t believe how much it happens,” she reflected.
Kaiser explained that she was “passionate” to speak up about the topic now because the summer months are approaching and May is Water Safety Awareness month.
“May is Water Safety Awareness month and a lot of kids are going to be swimming and unfortunately more drownings are gonna happen,” she said. “And I really hope if you see this video you please please please install a pool fence, make sure you have door alarms, make sure if you have door alarms all of your batteries are updated. Please make sure you watch your children around the water.”
Kaiser advocated for parents to enroll their children in swim lessons, especially infant swimming resource (ISR) lessons. (ISR lessons are survival swim sessions for children from 6 months to 6 years old. The classes focus on teaching self-rescue skills to prevent drowning.)
“ISR gives your child a chance to live. We have already seen such a dramatic change in our son who is only a year old by having him in ISR lessons every single day,” she said of her and husband Brady Kiser’s 13-month-old son, Teddy. “I cannot believe how quickly he has picked up the techniques. I am so proud of him.”
The influencer also encouraged parents to “get updated on CPR” because it is an “important” life-saving skill that can be used on anyone in danger.
Last year, Emilie confirmed that Trigg died after he was found unconscious in their backyard pool.
“Trigg is our baby and our best friend. The light and spirit he brought into this world was bright, pure, joyful and undeniable,” she wrote via Instagram in May 2025. “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.”
Us Weekly previously reported that Emilie was not home at the time of the incident. Brady, meanwhile, told authorities that he was home alone with their two sons. The Chandler, Arizona Police Department investigated the incident and recommended “a Class 4 felony charge of child abuse against Brady Kiser.” The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office ultimately declined to pursue charges against Brady because there was “no likelihood of conviction.”
Earlier this month, Emilie shared she forgave her husband in the aftermath of Trigg’s death.
“You don’t heal from the loss, you learn to live with the grief. Lots of therapy and consistently,” she wrote via TikTok “As well as [the] realization that everyone deserves love, empathy, and forgiveness.”
For more vital, lifesaving information on pool safety, see Bode Miller’s tips and visit Coverstar’s website during Water Safety Awareness Month.
