Emilie Kiser is making some changes in the wake of son Trigg Kiser‘s death.
The vlogger, who amassed millions of followers with her relatable mom life takes, got an up close and way too personal look at the dark side of the internet after her 3-year-old drowned in the family’s pool in May.
Hence the new precautions she said she’ll be taking as she ventures back online, Emilie—who also shares 5-month-old son Theodore with husband Brady Kiser—breaking her public silence on the accident in an Aug. 28 Instagram post.
“I have always been my authentic self on social media and tried my best to share my everyday life honestly, while also being mindful of what I didn’t choose to share,” she wrote. “I have now seen through this tragedy how relationships online lack boundaries, especially in protecting children’s privacy. Moving forward, I will be establishing more boundaries with what I share online.”
At the same time, her devoted online community has been an indispensable part of Emilie’s healing process.
Which, as she acknowledged in her statement, has barely begun and will likely never be truly over.
“Loss of this magnitude feels impossible to put into words,” Emilie wrote. “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.”
In addition to her heart-wrenching remembrances of Trigg—”our baby and our best friend”—she took “full accountability” for not having a permanent pool fence installed at the family’s Arizona home, a precaution that she painfully realized in hindsight could have prevented what happened.
Calling it “one of the hardest lessons” she has taken away from the tragedy, it is also something she will “never overlook again.”
“I hope amidst this pain,” Emilie noted, “Trigg’s story will help prevent other children and families from suffering the same loss.”
She thanked her audience and everyone who reached out in the wake of Trigg’s death for their “outpouring of love.”
And Emilie singled out the role her and Brady’s family has played as they grapple with their loss.
“We would not be getting through this without you,” she wrote. Along with the unconditional love and support, “the way you show up is something we will never be able to repay or thank you enough for.”
Friends and family have, “quite literally, carried us through this,” she added, “and continue to do so daily.”
Trigg died on May 18 in what authorities determined was an accidental drowning.
Per search warrant applications filed in Maricopa County Superior Court, Brady told Chandler, Ariz., police that he was home alone with both kids while Emilie was out with friends. He said he was tending to then-2-month-old Theodore when Trigg fell in the pool.
Brady told police Trigg had been playing near the pool, which wasn’t unusual, and was out of his sight for three to five minutes before he saw the 3-year-old in the water and jumped in to get him. Brady said the pool usually had a protective cover over it, according to his police interview detailed in the applications.
Emilie subsequently sued to have what would usually be public records regarding Trigg’s death sealed, the lawsuit stating that she was “trying her best to be there for her surviving son…But every day is a battle.”
The court granted her request to keep certain documents under seal temporarily.
Police recommended to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office that Brady be charged with one count of child abuse, but officials said in July that they weren’t going to prosecute, saying there was “no reasonable likelihood of conviction.”
An attorney for Brady told NBC News he was “grateful to law enforcement and the county attorney for conducting a thorough investigation and confirming that this was a tragic accident.”
Emilie, meanwhile, has been doing what she can, when she can.
“The only way through grief is to keep going minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day,” she wrote in her Aug. 28 statement, “and every moment since that day I’ve done my best to keep picking myself up.”
She noted that she hoped to share more one day about how she’s been navigating her grief, but she isn’t there yet.
See more photos of Emilie and her family during happy days together:
Husband and Wife
Emilie Kiser and Brady Kiser tied the knot in 2019.
A Family of Three…
The couple welcomed their first son, Trigg, in July 2021.
… and Then Four
They became parents again in March 2025 with the arrival of their second son Theodore.
The Sweet Life
Emilie often documented life at home with her two boys on social media.
Enjoying Every Moment
The family celebrated a happy Easter holiday together.
Better Together
Emilie shared this sweet photo shortly after Theodore’s birth.
Bath Time
After welcoming Theodore, Emilie wrote on social media, “The love I have for my boys is infinite.”
