(NewsNation) — Social media influencer Emilie Kiser has filed a lawsuit to keep records about her son’s death private, nearly two weeks after the incident, according to reports.
Three-year-old Trigg Kiser died May 18 after he was pulled from a pool in Chandler, Arizona, six days before. On May 27, a lawsuit was filed in the Arizona Superior Court for Maricopa County to prevent the release of documents related to her son’s death.
The complaint claims that her son died from an accidental drowning at the family’s home, and Emilie Kiser’s attorneys said that she and her family “desperately want to grieve in private.” They added that Trigg Kiser’s death has “become a media frenzy.”
According to Chandler, Arizona, police, the incident is under investigation, and no charges have been filed.
Over 100 requests filed for access to records on Trigg Kiser’s death: Lawsuit
The lawsuit stated that there have been over 100 requests filed with the City of Chandler, Arizona, and the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office for access to records that are related to Trigg Kiser’s death.
The purpose of the lawsuit is to prevent officials from releasing public documents, including the 911 call, photos of the scene and the police report. Emilie Kiser and her attorneys have allegedly not seen any of the documents, but they believe they are “exceptionally raw and graphic.”
The lawsuit also states that the release of the public records would “intrude upon personal dignity or cause unnecessary harm to private individuals. … Emilie is trying her best to be there for her surviving son, two-month-old Theodore. But every day is a battle.”
If a judge won’t permanently block the release of these records, Emilie Kiser has requested that the court review the records before they are released. This way, they can determine “what, if any, information may be lawfully disclosed.”
The lawsuit claims that releasing the documents would turn “Arizona’s Public Records Law into a weapon of emotional harm, rather than a tool of government transparency,” and many of the requests made were most likely for commercial purposes.
However, the law in Arizona doesn’t consider requesting records for news gathering to be a commercial purpose.
Emilie Kiser and social media
Emilie Kiser has over 4 million followers on TikTok and over 1.7 million followers on Instagram. She became famous by sharing videos of her life on these platforms.
After her son’s death, she stopped posting on social media, and her fans suspected something was wrong. Once the news broke, videos about Emilie Kiser’s son started being posted. Some videos even included footage that allegedly shows her son falling into a pool, but commenters say that the footage is from a different incident.
Other commenters have criticized the family for not having a fence around their pool. Some people are criticizing others for making videos about Trigg Kiser’s death. One commenter said, “Let’s normalize letting parents announce the death of their child. Let’s normalize NOT judging parents in tragic situations like this.”
Kiser is married to Brady Kiser and gave birth to Trigg Kiser in July of 2021. Then, they had their second son, Teddy, in March of 2025.