Sheriff’s office asks FBI to join Mica Miller investigation

This article mentions suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, resources or someone to talk to, you can find it at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline website or by calling 800-273-8255. People are available to talk 24/7.

(NewsNation) — NewsNation has confirmed that the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office is requesting assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office and FBI in the investigation into the death of Mica Miller.

In a statement Monday, the sheriff’s office said it has been in contact with the federal agencies “since the early stages of the Mica Miller investigation.” The office cited “information gathered during the investigation and jurisdiction reasons” for requesting help but did not provide details.

However, Sierra Francis, Miller’s sister, said when she called the FBI’s North Carolina office Friday, she was told the bureau was not involved in the case.

The death of Miller, whose disappearance drew national attention, was ruled a suicide after an investigation by the sheriff’s office. Miller, 30, of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound April 27 at Lumber River State Park in North Carolina.

Affidavits reveal why Miller was hospitalized

Mica’s family has accused her estranged husband, Pastor John-Paul Miller, of making exaggerated claims about her mental health that led to her being involuntarily committed to a psychiatric facility.

In an affidavit obtained by NewsNation, Mica Miller’s father Michael alleges that John-Paul claimed his daughter was not taking her medication properly and needed to be hospitalized in February 2023. However, Michael said Mica had simply decided to take one pill instead of two, which was allowed.

“Throughout a lot of their interactions … John-Paul was exaggerating a lot of things and making up things so that he could, in fact, get Mica hospitalized against her will,” NewsNation producer Allison Weiner told NewsNation’s “Banfield” summarizing the affidavit.

Michael alleged John-Paul had Mica admitted by showing her a document purporting to give her family power of attorney over her care, though it was never filed or notarized.

The affidavit also claims John-Paul repeatedly threatened to prevent Mica’s family from seeing her before the hospitalization.

An email obtained by NewsNation shows John-Paul warning Michael not to trespass on properties owned by him or his church, from which Mica’s family was allegedly barred.

Mica’s sister called 911 after pastor’s threatening texts

Mica’s family has claimed her marriage to John-Paul Miller was marred by abuse and toxicity. They provided NewsNation with threatening texts they say John-Paul sent Mica’s sister last November when Mica was staying with her.

One 1:11 a.m. text said John-Paul had bagged Mica’s possessions and threatened to dump them on the sister’s property or take them to Goodwill. A second text, at 8:04 a.m., apologized, saying: “If she comes home today tell her I’m sorry. So sorry. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

The family also released a 911 call from November in which Mica’s sister reported threats from John-Paul.

In the 911 call obtained by NewsNation, the sister tells the operator: “He was texting me at this point saying ‘I’ll be at your house at 12:55. I’m armed and ready, and I will keep you up all night. I’m going to get her back.'”

Despite the alleged threats, John-Paul Miller’s attorney says the pastor denies any abuse, claiming in a statement that Mica struggled with bipolar disorder, which “led to paranoid episodes and self-destructive behavior.”

The death investigation was based on surveillance footage, physical evidence including the gun purchased hours earlier by Mica, a timeline of her travels that day from Myrtle Beach to the state park, and the findings of the North Carolina medical examiner’s office, according to Sheriff Burnis Wilkins.

On April 27, Miller called 911 around 2:54 p.m., saying she planned to kill herself and requesting her body’s location be provided to her family before abruptly ending the call. Her body was found shortly after in the Lumber River by a fisherman who heard a gunshot.

A 9mm handgun registered to Miller was recovered near her body. Receipts showed Miller bought the gun and ammunition around 12:30 p.m. that day from a Myrtle Beach pawn shop after searching online for nearby state parks.

Investigators said they confirmed the whereabouts of John-Paul Miller, during the time she died, including his presence at an athletic event in Charleston.

The sheriff’s statement advised anyone with information on the case to contact the FBI’s Columbia office at 803-551-4200.