Influencer Emilie Kiser has been forced to take legal action to keep details about her son’s death private.
As we previously reported, the social media personality and her husband, Brady Kiser, tragically lost their 3-year-old Trigg following a pool accident. The incident happened on May 12 after 6:00 p.m. at the family’s home near East Chandler Heights in Arizona. According to AZ Central, spokesperson Sonu Wasu said law enforcement were called to the residence for a drowning that night. Once police arrived at the scene, they performed CPR until firefighters took over. Trigg was taken to Chandler Regional Medical Center and then transported to Phoenix Children’s Hospital in critical condition. Unfortunately, the little guy didn’t make it. He died on May 18.
A tragic story… But why isn’t that the end of it?
There’s been a lot of public speculation about the situation online — with unfounded theories popping up. It’s apparently gotten so bad, random people want to access the records about the drowning. Including video of the incident and everything? WTF…
Now, Emilie is taking action to prevent this from happening. Per court documents obtained by USA Today on Thursday, attorneys for the TikToker filed a lawsuit in Arizona Superior Court for Maricopa County on May 27 to prevent the release of any documents related to Trigg’s passing. After experiencing the unimaginable tragedy, her lawyers said, the family hasn’t been able to grieve in peace because the public refuses to let them:
“Emilie is going through a parent’s worst nightmare right now. She lost her young son, her three-year-old Trigg Chapman Kiser (“Trigg”), on May 18, 2025, following a heartbreaking accidental drowning at the family’s home on May 12, 2025. Emilie is trying her best to be there for her surviving son, two-month-old Theodore. But every day is a battle. Emilie and her family desperately want to grieve in private, but sadly, the public will not let them. Trigg’s death has become a media frenzy.”
According to the lawsuit, over 100 requests were filed with the City of Chandler and the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office for access to the records — mainly for what her attorneys claim “commercial purposes.” Whoa.
Emilie asked officials not to release these public documents, including the police report, 911 call, and photos of the scene. While the influencer and her legal team have not viewed the records, the complaint said they assume everything is “exceptionally raw and graphic,” especially “the security camera footage of the accidental drowning.” Emilie feels this would “intrude upon personal dignity or cause unnecessary harm to private individuals.”
And here’s the deal. Police reports and 911 calls are considered public records, but there are stipulations around the laws for each state. In Florida, for example, pretty much everything is public — that’s why you hear so many “Florida man” stories. In Arizona though, police officials can redact portions of those documents. Per the Arizona Legislature, a court can rule to keep the records private if the release could cause “substantial and irreparable private or public harm.” In this case, as we said, Emilie argues the records were requested for “commercial purposes” — though she is “unaware of the identities of the requesting parties.” She feels the requests do not “meaningfully advance government accountability” as intended by Arizona’s Public Records Law.
That said, the Arizona Ombudsman Citizens’ Aide notes the law does not consider asking for records for the purpose of news gathering to be a commercial purpose. Media outlets ask for public records about the deaths of public figures, like celebrities, all the time. Trigg wasn’t a celebrity… not exactly. But Emilie is — and kind of made him one by posting about him. So whether the judge will side with Emilie, we’ll see. But if the court chooses to allow some public access to the records, per the lawsuit, Emilie wants the court to at least “conduct an in-camera review of all records” first. While waiting for the review, she’s asking officials to prohibit the release of any of the records in the meantime.
Look, if people are asking for the public records just to post it first on TikTok or Instagram before anyone else, they need to stop, take a step back, and have some compassion. This is a toddler who died. This family is forever changed by a terrible accident and wants to mourn without being hounded by random social media users — or living in fear that incredibly graphic information, photos, and video of their young child will be out there for the world to see. And just because Emilie made content with her kids does not mean you have a right to exploit this tragedy online for your own gain. It’s gross. Leave them alone.
Reactions to the lawsuit? Let us know.
[Image via Emilie Kiser/Instagram]
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