Olympian Bode Miller & Wife Morgan Welcome Baby Boy Months After Tragic Death Of Daughter Emeline
Less than four months after their 19-month-old daughter Emeline Grier tragically died in a drowning accident, Bode and Morgan Miller welcomed a baby boy at 1:34 p.m. on Friday, according to People magazine.
Bode, 40, and Morgan, 31, also have another son together, 3-year-old son Nash Skan, and Miller has two other children from previous relationships: son Samuel, 5, and daughter Neesyn, 10.
Bode announced the pregnancy on April 1 through an Instagram post that featured five Easter egg ornaments, four of which had his kids’ names written on them and the fifth had the announcing words, “Baby Miller coming… October 2018.”
The pregnancy announcement came about two months before Emeline drowned in a pool in the Coto de Caza neighborhood of Orange County, California, in June, according to People. The toddler sneaked outside through a back door and fell into a swimming pool. The girl was in the water for about 30 seconds before Morgan found her, as per the People report.
Local authorities said at the time that paramedics called to the scene attempted to save the child with CPR before rushing her to a local hospital, where she died the next day. Morgan was just steps away inside of the home when their daughter went “missing for just a short amount of time,” People reported. Bode was not home when the accident happened.
“We are beyond devastated. Our baby girl, Emmy, passed away yesterday,” Bode wrote on his Instagram in light of Emeline’s death. “Never in a million years did we think we would experience a pain like this. Her love, her light, her spirit will never be forgotten. Our little girl loved life and lived it to it’s [sic] fullest everyday. Our family respectfully requests privacy during this painful time.”
Following the accident, both Bode and Miller have made media appearances to talk about water safety in an effort to spread awareness. In late August, Bode had an interview with CBS News during which he explained that he and his wife have been dedicated to “removing the stigma” surrounding the loss of a child, adding that it is important to have an “open conversation” not only with each other but with others who have experienced similar tragedies.
“We have people come up to us [where] it’s really hard [for them] to address [us]. They don’t know what to say, they don’t want to cause you more pain and they don’t want to dodge around the subject,” he said, adding, “but the fact is, breaking that stigma and making it a conversation that you can have with parents who have, unfortunately, experienced it firsthand is one of those really important steps,” he said as quoted in the People report.
