The husband of social media personality Emilie Kiser may face a felony child abuse charge in connection with the drowning death of the couple’s three-year-old son, Trigg.
On Tuesday, July 15, the Chandler Police Department (CPD) confirmed on X that its investigation into the child’s death had concluded. Detectives have recommended that Brady Kiser be charged with a Class 4 felony for child abuse.
The case has been submitted to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, which will determine whether to pursue charges. Prosecutors could approve the recommendation, request additional investigation, or decline to file charges altogether.
The referral comes nearly two months after Trigg drowned in the family’s backyard pool in Chandler, Arizona, on Monday, May 12, per ABC15. According to CPD records, Brady was home at the time with Trigg and the couple’s newborn son, Theodore, while Emilie was out with friends.
In a statement to police, Brady said he had seen Trigg playing near the pool earlier that day, something he described as "not uncommon", and that the pool was usually covered. While tending to Theodore, he said he lost sight of Trigg for several minutes. When he returned to the backyard, he found the toddler unresponsive in the water, AZ Central reports.
First responders performed CPR on the scene before transporting Trigg to Chandler Regional Medical Center. He was later transferred to Phoenix Children’s Hospital in critical condition but did not survive.
The day after the incident, police applied for a search warrant to obtain surveillance footage from the backyard. CPD investigators formally accused Brady of child abuse on that same day, according to warrant applications.
Trigg’s death gained national attention in part due to Emilie’s online presence. With a following of over 4 million on TikTok, she publicly shared the news of her son's death just days after it occurred.
In the weeks that followed, Emilie filed a legal motion in Arizona Superior Court for Maricopa County, seeking to restrict public access to records related to the case. According to court filings, the family “desperately want to grieve in private, but sadly, the public will not let them,” with her attorneys arguing that the circumstances had become "a media frenzy."
On June 3, the court granted temporary confidentiality over Emilie’s personal declaration and her broader request for privacy while the court continues to evaluate the matter.
A source told PEOPLE that Emilie’s sealed declaration “reflects an intensely personal account of her grief and trauma, submitted to help the court understand her perspective, not for public consumption.”
“The core legal issues remain fully transparent through public filings by counsel and the court,” the source said. “Emilie’s sealed declaration does not hinder the public’s understanding of the case or its legal significance. Preserving a small measure of privacy in the midst of public scrutiny is a reasonable and compassionate choice given the circumstances.”
Another source added that Emilie is asking the court to keep private the records and footage related to Trigg’s death. “A deeply personal, and reasonable, plea to prevent the public release of the most traumatic moment of her life,” the source said, per PEOPLE.
They continued: “Her public profile does not negate her right to privacy, nor does it make her son’s death a matter for public consumption. Public agencies have received over 100+ public records requests for the footage of a toddler’s death, which only serves to satisfy morbid curiosity more than any type of justice.”
On July 9, both the Chandler Police Department and the Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner filed a joint request seeking an exception to the court’s confidentiality order. They aim to share records with one another as they work to finalize their investigations. As of now, no ruling on that motion has been made public.