Bode Miller and his wife Morgan Miller are in mourning after their 19-month-old daughter passed away over the weekend.
In an Instagram posted Monday afternoon, the Olympic athlete confirmed the tragic news to his fans and followers.
“We are beyond devastated. Our baby girl, Emmy, passed away yesterday,” he wrote on social media. “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.”
Bode added, “Our little girl loved life and lived it to it’s fullest everyday. Our family respectfully requests privacy during this painful time.”
The post, which was also shared on Morgan’s page, also included several photos of baby Emmy including moments where she was playing with toys, taking a bath and enjoying the great outdoors.
The child passed away after a tragic drowning accident. Captain Steve Concialdi of the Orange County Fire Authority told E! News the OCFA responded to a drowning call around 6:30 p.m. on Saturday.”The mother of the child was at a neighbor’s house and somehow the little girl got away for a short amount of time,” he said. “When the mother realized it, she went directly to the backyard and found her daughter in the pool. She was able to pull her daughter out. 911 was immediately called. CRP was initiated by people already at the scene.”According to Concialdi, fire paramedics took over the care and advanced life-saving measures upon arriving at the scene. The child was then transported to Mission Hospital in “grave condition,” specifically full cardiac arrest.
“This is extremely tragic for everybody,” he added, “for the family, for the neighbors and the community, as well as the first responders including sheriff’s deputies [and] fire paramedics….These calls are one of the worst calls that firefighter paramedics respond to….This is a public safety message. Children are so quickly drawn to water. They think it’s playtime and they don’t see the danger. These types of calls happen so quickly.”
After news of their daughter’s death broke, the Olympian thanked midwives Lindsey Meehleisand Courtney Ellis for their support during this time.”Thank you for all the love and support and to our midwives @lindseymeehleis and @courtneykellis for helping us find the support our family needs during this impossible time,” he wrote alongside a photo of his little one.GoFundMe and Meal Train pages have also been set up to assist the family.
One glimpse at Bode and Morgan’s Instagram feeds and you’ll be quick to see the love they have for all of their kids. In fact, when the athlete went to cover the Winter Olympics, he couldn’t help but express how much he missed his kids including Emmy.”I can’t wait to get home to my little princess. She’s waiting patiently,” he wrote online.And just this November, the proud parents documented Emmy’s first birthday that included cake and candles.
“Happy 1st Birthday to my baby girl!” Morgan shared on social media.
“Everyone at U.S. Ski & Snowboard is devastated to hear the tragic news about Bode and Morgan’s baby daughter Emmy,” CEO and President of U.S. Ski and Snowboard Tiger Shaw shared in a statement this evening. “Our thoughts and prayers are with them, their family and friends at this time.”
In April, Bode revealed his wife is pregnant with another baby. The couple is expecting the child in October.
