Bode Miller Addresses Daughter’s Tragic Drowning in New Interview: ‘It’s Unbelievable Quick’

In early June, Olympic skier Bode Miller and his wife, Morgan Beck, lost their 19-month-old daughter, Emeline, after she tragically drowned in a pool.

Around five weeks later, the couple sat down with Today‘s Savannah Guthrie to share their story in the hopes that it will help other parents and keep something similar from happening to another family. They also wanted to increase awareness of drowning, one of the most common deaths among young children.

“I can attest from firsthand experience now that it’s unbelievably quick and it’s unbelievably sneaky,” Miller said. “You’d think it’d be, like, some weird circumstance or some strange thing. And, it’s not. It just happens in the blink of an eye.”

Beck shared, “And it is literally — a child under 30 pounds can drown in 30 seconds. And I just keep counting to 30 in my head. That was all I needed. And so, it’s one of those things where, as a parent now, when you go to someone else’s house, survey the home to see if it’s a safe place for your child to be.”

The full interview will air Monday, July 30 on Today.

Miller and Beck shared the news of their daughter’s tragic death in June with identical Instagram posts.

“We are beyond devastated. Our baby girl, Emmy, passed away yesterday,” they wrote. “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 fullest everyday. Our family respectfully requests privacy during this painful time.”

Emeline drowned in a pool in Coto de Caza, California, with paramedics attempting CPR at the scene before transporting the toddler to a nearby hospital, where she passed away.

“The mother of the child was at a neighbor’s house and somehow the little girl got away for a short amount of time,” Captain Steve Concialdi of the Orange County Fire Authority told E! News. “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. CPR was initiated by people already at the scene.”

On June 19, the couple revealed that they want to use their daughter’s passing as an inspiration to raise awareness and help others.

“We want to thank our friends, family and every one of you who sent a message, said a prayer or donated for the overwhelming expression of support — we are truly touched and blessed,” they shared in a post. “Our midwives started a gofundme campaign to raise funds and we intend to donate these funds raised to worthwhile causes connected to water safety education. We are inspired to make our baby girls memory go forth and help prevent as many drownings as possible. We will post more soon on our plans and efforts.”

Photo Credit: NBC