Arizona police recently released a report that described what happened to a 3-year-old boy who drowned while in his father’s care in May.
According to the Arizona Republic, Chandler police determined that Brady Kiser’s statements about what happened to his son, Trigg Kiser, were not consistent with surveillance footage from May 12. The father was watching his newborn and toddler sons when the older boy was found unresponsive in their backyard pool in Chandler.
Trigg Kiser died on May 18, six days after the incident. His father claimed he lost track of the boy for up to five minutes — but police said he was outside unsupervised for more than nine minutes and in the pool for seven.
“I didn’t have a clock, obviously,” Brady Kiser allegedly told police. “I don’t know the exact time, but it was moments, it wasn’t minutes, it was moments, it wasn’t that he had been out of sight for long.”
The report noted that Brady Kiser claimed he last saw his son near the hot tub, which an investigator told him was impossible. The father allegedly also stated that he was sitting in a chair facing the backyard before saying he was on a couch facing a television.
Chandler police recommended child abuse charges against Brady Kiser, though they noted there was no evidence that he saw his son in the pool drowning. They pointed out, however, that he knew the pool was uncovered and that his unsupervised son could not swim, according to the Arizona Republic.
Police also accused Brady Kiser of placing an online sports bet the night his son drowned. Officers noted that an NBA game was playing on the television when they responded to the home.
Despite police’s recommendation, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said they will not be prosecuting Brady Kiser for his son’s death. Mitchell said it is unlikely he would be convicted if he stood trial for child abuse, as it would be difficult to prove negligence.
The boys’ mother is Emilie Kiser, a social media influencer with more than 4 million followers on TikTok. She was out with friends at the time of the incident.
The Arizona Republic reported that Emilie Kiser successfully asked the court to block the release video depicting her son’s drowning. Her lawyers argued the footage could be used by AI-video reenactments and bad-faith actors.
[Feature Photo: Instagram]
