The viral video of a 2-year-old twin who saved his brother after a dresser fell on them has received millions of views. Skeptics, however, have called out the parents saying that the whole thing is a hoax.
The boys' parents, Kayli and Ricky Shoff, have spoken up to address the criticisms and accusations. Some observed that they conveniently set up the incident based on the camera angles, the empty drawers and furniture placements. They claim that this whole thing has been a stunt for Vivint Smart Home, a home-monitoring firm where Ricky works.
Ricky first shared the video of the twins, Brock and Bowdy, on his Facebook profile. He stated that he was "a little hesitant to post," but thinks it would help raise awareness.
Speaking later with "Good Morning America," the parents said that they have security cameras all around the house. "They're mounted on the wall and fixed so they don't move," Ricky said, according to ABC News, in answer to skeptics saying that the camera's direction has been manipulated.
They also said that the drawers had been empty purposely because the twin boys would always take out whatever was inside. "We just decided the easiest thing was to empty the drawers and put all their clothes in the closet," Ricky said.
Kayli said, on the other hand, that she was in the house with the boys but she did not hear anything from the boys' room. By the time she saw the monitors, she only saw the dresser down on the floor.
When she came to the boys' room, however, they were already playing "like nothing happened." The parents also confirm that the twins had no injuries from the incident.
After reviewing the videos, that's the only time the Shoffs realized the gravity of the situation. They have since bolted the dresser to the wall.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) actually has a campaign called Anchor It! that recommends households keep their furniture bolted, particularly dressers that children love to climb on. According to CNN, the CPSC has logged over 33,000 emergency cases of kids getting injured from unbolted furniture. "The threat is serious, but the solution is simple," the agency advised in its campaign.
