CHANDLER, Ariz. — The father of a young boy who drowned in a backyard pool earlier this year will not face criminal charges, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (MCAO) announced Friday.
Brady Kiser, the father of 3-year-old Trigg Kiser, had been under investigation after Chandler police recommended a felony child abuse charge in connection with the May 16 incident. Trigg was found unresponsive in the family’s backyard pool and later died at the hospital.
However, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said prosecutors concluded there wasn’t enough evidence to pursue the case in court.
“Because there is no reasonable likelihood of conviction, we will not be filing charges,” Mitchell said in a statement.
Chandler police submitted their findings earlier this month, recommending one count of child abuse, a Class 4 felony. At the time of the incident, Brady Kiser was reportedly home alone with his two children when the toddler was discovered in the pool.
According to MCAO, surveillance footage from the home was reviewed as part of the investigation and helped establish the timeline of events. Prosecutors emphasized that, under Arizona law, convicting someone of child abuse requires proving that the person failed to recognize a significant and unjustifiable risk — and that such a failure was a gross deviation from the care a reasonable person would exercise.
The statement from the county attorney’s office explained that every case is weighed against the same legal benchmark: whether there is a “reasonable likelihood of conviction” based on available evidence.
The final decision, the office said, involved input from both assigned prosecutors and senior attorneys, including Mitchell herself. Due to a court order, officials said no further details can be shared at this time.
