The mother of a three-year-old boy who fatally drowned in a backyard pool has shared a warning about water safety to other families a year on from the ‘preventable’ tragedy.
Influencer Emilie Kiser, 27, posted an emotional TikTok message on the anniversary of her son’s death, timing her appeal with Water Safety Awareness Month.
Her three-year-old son, Trigg, fell into the swimming pool at the family home when he was unsupervised. Emilie was away, while her husband Brady, 29, was caring for their younger child, Teddy, who is now one.
Trigg died in hospital six days later on May 18, 2025. Emilie said: “This is a topic that I will continue to talk about when I feel comfortable, because it is so extremely hard to talk about, and I hope that people can understand that.”
Reflecting on how difficult it can be to speak publicly about the loss, she described the experience as something people handle in different ways. Emilie added: “Our son’s death was very preventable.
“It was an accident, but it was a preventable accident. I will always take full accountability for that, because as a parent, it is your job to protect your child.”
She said the tragedy has pushed her to urge other parents and caregivers to take drowning risks more seriously, especially for very young children, and she pointed to statistics she believes many families don’t realize.
“Drowning is the number one cause of death in children 3 and under,” she said.. “And that is an extremely hard statistic to swallow because I truly just can’t believe how much it happens.”
Emilie emphasized that greater awareness needs to be matched with practical steps at home, encouraging parents to take what she called ‘more preventive measures to protect their children.’
I hope sharing this helps people and educates people🤍 love you guys🥺
Before outlining other options, she stressed the importance of basic safety layers around pools and doors, saying: “I really hope that if you see this video, you please, please, please install a pool fence. Make sure you have door alarms. Make sure if you have door alarms, all of your batteries are updated.
“Please make sure that you watch your children around water.”
Alongside constant supervision near water, she also encouraged parents to look into Infant Swimming Resource (ISR) lessons. Emilie said she has enrolled Teddy and has already noticed rapid progress.
She said: “ISR gives your child a chance to live. We have already seen such a dramatic change in our son, who is only a year old, by having him in ISR lessons every single day.
“I cannot believe how quickly he has picked up techniques. I’m so proud of him, and I really hope that other parents sign their kids up.”
She also highlighted that preparation matters even when prevention fails, adding: “CPR is so important, and knowing how to do CPR so important,” Emilie added.
“Whether it’s your child, whether it’s another child, whether it’s an adult that you need to help, knowing CPR is so important, whether it’s drowning, choking, anything else.”