TikTok influencer Emilie Kiser has broken her social media silence following the May drowning of her three-year-old son.
Trigg Chapman Kiser died May 18 after he was found in their family’s backyard pool six days earlier.
Since then, Kiser has maintained her silence while it remained a possibility that her husband, Brady — who was home at the time of the drowning — could face child abuse charges. It has since been announced that he will not be charged.
Now, Kiser is speaking out about the “void that no family should ever have to endure.”
“Loss of this magnitude feels impossible to put into words,” her statement began. “I never thought we would experience grief in this way or the pain of losing him so suddenly.”
“I take full accountability as Trigg’s mother, and I know I should have done more to protect him.”
Kiser acknowledged that the family’s pool did not have a safety fence, a feature that could have saved her son’s life.
“It’s something I will never overlook again,” she said.
Kiser’s statement comes after a police investigation revealed Brady was watching an NBA game and had placed a bet on the outcome at the time of Trigg’s death. Kiser was out with friends at the time.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell confirmed in July that Brady won’t be charged because there is not a “reasonable likelihood of conviction.”
“We are grateful to law enforcement and the county attorney for conducting a thorough investigation and confirming that this was a tragic accident,” Brady’s attorney, Flynn P. Carey, said in a statement to ABC News. “Brady remains in the midst of the grieving process and is thankful to be with his family as they heal together. We appreciate the compassion and support shown during this difficult time.”
Kiser had also asked a judge to block two pages of the police report that included details about her son’s death. The judge sided with her ahead of the report’s release.
In her statement, Kiser said that while she has grown to love and appreciate her online audience, she plans to be more discerning going forward.
“I have now seen through this tragedy how relationships online lack boundaries, especially in protecting children’s privacy,” she wrote. “Moving forward, I will be establishing more boundaries with what I share online.”
Kiser thanked her family and friends who “carried us through this,” as well as her audience for their support.
“In the future, I hope to be in a place to share more about how I am navigating this grief,” she said. “But right now, all I can say is thank you for the love, compassion, patience and space you’ve given us to grieve.”