Influencer Emilie Kiser has returned to TikTok, four months after the death of her son, Trigg, who tragically drowned in their family pool in May. The toddler was three years old.
“Hey you guys, don’t even know what to say,” Kiser, 26, began in her Saturday TikTok. “It’s been a minute since I’ve obviously come on here. Not gonna lie, I’m really nervous right now. I don’t really know if there’s any right way to start this video, but I’m going to do my best.”
The social media star has been off the internet since the tragedy occurred, only recently returning last month with a brief post.
“I have missed getting to chat with you guys everyday,” Kiser, who sported a necklace that spelled out Trigg, admitted. “I really do love this community we have here, and I hope that in coming back and sharing what I choose to, I can reconnect with you guys and, hopefully, help anyone going through a similar situation.”
She added, “I have been offline for the last little bit. I’m just doing my best every day to figure this out, figure my life out. I’m just taking it day by day. I’m going to do the same with my content.”
While noting how hard the last few months after been, Kiser stressed that she isn’t going to beat around the bush in her videos.
“I’m not going to act like things are fine and dandy, and I don’t want it to come off that way with me coming back and making content again,” she detailed. “This is really therapeutic for me. I miss talking to you guys, but I don’t know what that’s going to fully look like. I don’t know how much I’m willing to share, especially about my grief journey.”
Kiser confessed that she’s still “trying to process everything, as best as I can, day by day,” before stating: “I don’t know when I’ll be ready. If you are going through anything similar, I just want to say that I love you, I’m here for you and I understand how hard it is.”
Before the video concluded, the media personality shared a glimpse into herself cleaning up around the house.
“I have some time right now, so we’re going to reset this house for the week ahead,” Kiser finished. “I’m excited to do so. It always feels good going into the week with a clean home, so let’s go and clean together. If you want to watch me clean, then keep watching.”
Trigg was found unresponsive in the family’s Arizona swimming pool by Kiser’s husband, Brady Kiser.
According to the police report, Trigg was unsupervised in the backyard for more than 9 minutes and was “in the water for 7 of those minutes.”
He was rushed to a hospital and pronounced dead on May 18.
At the time, Brady was the only parent home with Trigg and their son Theodore, 6 months. Brady allegedly placed a $25 bet on a New York Knicks playoff game more than an hour before his son died in the family’s backyard pool. He won $102.50 from that bet.
A Chandler, Arizona, police report stated that Brady’s attention was “divided” between taking care of his children and Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Following the news of Trigg’s death, Kiser filed a lawsuit against numerous offices in Arizona to keep details of her son’s passing private.
Kiser publicly spoke out for the first time in August.
“Trigg is our baby and our best friend. The light and spirit he brought into this world was bright, pure, joyful, and undeniable. We miss him every second of every day and continuing forward often feels unbearable,” she wrote on Instagram. “I never thought we would experience grief in this way or the pain of losing him so suddenly. It’s a pain, heartache, and void that no family should ever have to endure.”
She continued in part: “I take full accountability as Trigg’s mother, and I know I should have done more to protect him. One of the hardest lessons I carry is that a permanent pool fence could have saved his life, and it’s something I will never overlook again. I hope amidst this pain, Trigg’s story will help prevent other children and families from suffering the same loss.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
