Influencer Emilie Kiser files lawsuit to keep details of 3-year-old son’s death private
Arizona influencer Emilie Kiser filed a lawsuit Tuesday against multiple Maricopa County public offices to keep records of her 3-year-old son’s death private.
Trigg Kiser died from injuries on May 18 after a drowning incident in a backyard pool on May 12, according to the Chandler Police Department. He was hospitalized and in critical condition for six days until his death, NBC affiliate KPNX of Phoenix reported.
Emilie Kiser — the 26-year-old influencer who built a TikTok following of 3.4 million on mom-and-wife lifestyle content — filed the suit Tuesday over privacy concerns. Kiser also has a 2-month-old son, Theodore, with husband Brady Kiser.
“Emilie and her family desperately want to grieve in private, but sadly, the public will not let them,” the suit read. “Trigg’s death has become a media frenzy.”
More than 100 public records requests have been filed with the city of Chandler and Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office following Trigg’s death, which was accidental, according to the lawsuit.
Kiser has not reviewed any of the records requested, including the police report, security camera footage, body camera footage or autopsy reports, the suit stated, nor does she intend to view them.
Authorities found a 3-year-old unconscious and being pulled out of a pool when they responded to the drowning call in Chandler, about 20 miles southeast of Phoenix, on May 12, KPNX reported. The Chandler Fire Department previously told KPNX that police officers were the first to arrive on the scene and began CPR until firefighters arrived.
The lawsuit cites Arizona law recognizing that family members have a compelling privacy interest related to the death of a loved one.
“Disclosure of graphic or intimate death-related records causes renewed trauma to surviving family members and violates their right to grieve privately,” the suit reads.
A number of municipal offices were named as defendants in the suit, including the city of Chandler, the Chandler Police Department and Maricopa County. Spokespeople for the city of Chandler and Chandler Police Department told NBC News on Thursday the offices do not comment on pending litigation.
Maricopa County and Kiser’s lawyers did not immediately respond to NBC News requests for comment. Kiser has not posted on social media since May 12.