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Believer of Miracles
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“Down below the truth is lying … beneath the river bed.”
Mica Miller’s story has captured the attention of the entire world. National media outlets, bloggers, video content creators, podcasters and social media sleuths are questioning and challenging every aspect of both the events leading up to her death as well as the investigation conducted in the aftermath.
What is driving this scrutiny?
Whatever the reason may be, the world is watching …
While law enforcement’s investigation into the death of Mica Miller appears to be closed – having been officially ruled a suicide – many questions continue to linger regarding the investigative report (.pdf) released on April 8, 2024 by the sheriff’s office.
Our media outlet was the first to report on this tragedy, and we have continued to dig deep into the saga as official accounts (here and here) have collided with accounts of Miller’s allegedly abusive marriage (here and here) to pastor John-Paul “JP” Miller of the Solid Rock at Market Common church in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
There have also been increasingly bold statements from Mica Miller’s family members challenging the official narrative …
While RCSO has released some information related to its investigative efforts, the official report from the Miller inquiry – along with investigatory notes – has not yet been released. In looking at what the department has made available, questions have been raised which require clarification.
The computer aided dispatch (CAD) report – which details the time of dispatch and arrival time for each officer – has not yet been released by Robeson County officials, but materials contained in their initial presentation would seem to indicate nine minutes elapsed before the first officer was sent to the park. Nine minutes also appears to have elapsed before park rangers were notified of the call.
This situation is tragically common. And the most frightening aspect of it? How difficult it can be for a family member of someone victimized by intimate partner violence – someone found deceased under suspicious circumstances – to get the only thing they want: Answers.
According to the authors, Yifat Bitton and Hava Dayan, “the most common victim-offender relationship involving homicide scene staging is an intimate partner relationship.” They also found that “most staged homicide scenes involve the killing of an intimate partner.”
The authors further detailed several factors that should give investigators reasonable cause to consider protecting scenes and evidence during death investigations. These included a premature death in which the deceased was in apparent good health, death by suicide, evidence that one of the partners wished to terminate the relationship, prior domestic violence on the part of the deceased’s partner, the deceased being found dead in their home, and the deceased being found dead by their current or previous partner.
In these instances, the authors believed investigators should redefine suspicion to include the possibility of a staged homicide. While the death of Mica Miller did not meet all of these criteria, it met several of them – which seemingly would have been enough to initiate a thorough investigation without the presumption of death by suicide.
In a recent article in Psychology Today, Dr. Joni E. Johnston expanded on the topic after reviewing over fifty staged suicides. In her review, she found perpetrators often “set the stage” for the narrative of suicide by exaggerating a victim’s mental illness or falsely claiming they have one. She further found in many cases financial woes were the most common motive.
Before determining Mica’s death to be a suicide, it appears very few of these factors were considered by investigators. Even worse, the medical examiner released her body to her estranged husband without performing an autopsy. He promptly cremated it — destroying any possibility of a thorough investigatory inquiry.
Things only became more suspicious as time went on. According to Mica’s family, in order to view her body, Miller required them to sign off on the cremation. This struck them as strange because – despite being served with separation papers less than two days prior to her death – he was still her husband.
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In many cases involving staged suicides of intimate partner violence victims, it becomes nearly impossible for the family to independently investigate. That’s because the body, personal belongings and investigatory records of the deceased are released to the victimizer. Mica’s family realized this quickly and filed a motion in court to attempt to get her belongings back from the RCSO where they still sit in limbo. This motion will be heard on June 5, 2024 in Horry County.
Some states already have changed – or are currently making moves to change – laws dictating the investigation of unattended deaths of domestic violence victims. In Missouri, an amendment to current laws relating to death investigation is pending that would require a coroner to be notified if an individual has been a victim of domestic violence or sexual assault – and to make an autopsy a requirement.
In California, proposed legislation would grant parents, siblings or the domestic violence victim’s children the right to obtain photos taken during a coroner’s investigation into a death declared a suicide, so they can preserve them for an independent review of the case. If family members question the outcome of the investigation, they would have the right to request another law enforcement agency to review a death investigation officially deemed a suicide or an accident if there is a documented history of domestic violence.
While criminal remedies are not always available, wrongful death lawsuits often achieve accountability by holding alleged abusers accountable in civil court.
To prove a death by suicide – an act generally regarded as intentional – was caused at least in part by another person, the family of the individual must meet a high bar. In the case of victims of domestic violence, they must specifically prove that harassing, abusive or bullying behavior directly led to the suicide.
www.fitsnews.com
Mica Miller’s story has captured the attention of the entire world. National media outlets, bloggers, video content creators, podcasters and social media sleuths are questioning and challenging every aspect of both the events leading up to her death as well as the investigation conducted in the aftermath.
What is driving this scrutiny?
Whatever the reason may be, the world is watching …
While law enforcement’s investigation into the death of Mica Miller appears to be closed – having been officially ruled a suicide – many questions continue to linger regarding the investigative report (.pdf) released on April 8, 2024 by the sheriff’s office.
Our media outlet was the first to report on this tragedy, and we have continued to dig deep into the saga as official accounts (here and here) have collided with accounts of Miller’s allegedly abusive marriage (here and here) to pastor John-Paul “JP” Miller of the Solid Rock at Market Common church in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
There have also been increasingly bold statements from Mica Miller’s family members challenging the official narrative …
While RCSO has released some information related to its investigative efforts, the official report from the Miller inquiry – along with investigatory notes – has not yet been released. In looking at what the department has made available, questions have been raised which require clarification.
***
THE PRESUMPTION …
When officers arrived at the Lumber River State Park at 3:31 p.m. EST on April 27, 2024, nearly forty minutes had passed since Mica calmly told the dispatcher, “I’m about to kill myself, and I just want my family to know where to find me.”The computer aided dispatch (CAD) report – which details the time of dispatch and arrival time for each officer – has not yet been released by Robeson County officials, but materials contained in their initial presentation would seem to indicate nine minutes elapsed before the first officer was sent to the park. Nine minutes also appears to have elapsed before park rangers were notified of the call.
***
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RELATED | UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
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According to many experts, though, such an assumption can often prove to be a critical error because in cases like Mica Miller’s, her estranged and abusive husband – who was served divorce papers less than two days before her death – was her legal heir. In other words, all decisions relating to her body, personal effects and investigatory materials would fall to the same person whose alleged abuse, stalking and isolating tactics she had been trying for months to escape.This situation is tragically common. And the most frightening aspect of it? How difficult it can be for a family member of someone victimized by intimate partner violence – someone found deceased under suspicious circumstances – to get the only thing they want: Answers.
***
STAGED SUICIDES AND MISSED INVESTIGATIVE OPPORTUNITIES
A 2019 study published in The British Journal of Criminology – ‘The Perfect Murder’: An Exploratory Study of Staged Murder Scenes and Concealed Femicide – delved into this largely unexplored topic.According to the authors, Yifat Bitton and Hava Dayan, “the most common victim-offender relationship involving homicide scene staging is an intimate partner relationship.” They also found that “most staged homicide scenes involve the killing of an intimate partner.”
The authors further detailed several factors that should give investigators reasonable cause to consider protecting scenes and evidence during death investigations. These included a premature death in which the deceased was in apparent good health, death by suicide, evidence that one of the partners wished to terminate the relationship, prior domestic violence on the part of the deceased’s partner, the deceased being found dead in their home, and the deceased being found dead by their current or previous partner.
In these instances, the authors believed investigators should redefine suspicion to include the possibility of a staged homicide. While the death of Mica Miller did not meet all of these criteria, it met several of them – which seemingly would have been enough to initiate a thorough investigation without the presumption of death by suicide.
In a recent article in Psychology Today, Dr. Joni E. Johnston expanded on the topic after reviewing over fifty staged suicides. In her review, she found perpetrators often “set the stage” for the narrative of suicide by exaggerating a victim’s mental illness or falsely claiming they have one. She further found in many cases financial woes were the most common motive.
Before determining Mica’s death to be a suicide, it appears very few of these factors were considered by investigators. Even worse, the medical examiner released her body to her estranged husband without performing an autopsy. He promptly cremated it — destroying any possibility of a thorough investigatory inquiry.
***
THE RIGHTS OF A VICTIM’S FAMILY
Less than a week before the Millers’ story made national headlines, the bizarre announcement of Mica’s death by her husband to the congregation of their church, Solid Rock at Market Common – just one day after he said he received the news – began making its way around her close circle of family and friends.Things only became more suspicious as time went on. According to Mica’s family, in order to view her body, Miller required them to sign off on the cremation. This struck them as strange because – despite being served with separation papers less than two days prior to her death – he was still her husband.
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(Horry County)
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Feeling uneasy about JP Miller’s actions – and suspicious of the circumstances surrounding Mica’s death – members of her family quickly filed an application for her sister, Sierra Francis, to serve as a special administrator of her estate. Two affidavits were filed alongside that application detailing the alleged abuse proceeding Mica’s death – which along with the documented instances of stalking by her estranged husband should have been enough to sound alarm bells to investigators.In many cases involving staged suicides of intimate partner violence victims, it becomes nearly impossible for the family to independently investigate. That’s because the body, personal belongings and investigatory records of the deceased are released to the victimizer. Mica’s family realized this quickly and filed a motion in court to attempt to get her belongings back from the RCSO where they still sit in limbo. This motion will be heard on June 5, 2024 in Horry County.
Some states already have changed – or are currently making moves to change – laws dictating the investigation of unattended deaths of domestic violence victims. In Missouri, an amendment to current laws relating to death investigation is pending that would require a coroner to be notified if an individual has been a victim of domestic violence or sexual assault – and to make an autopsy a requirement.
In California, proposed legislation would grant parents, siblings or the domestic violence victim’s children the right to obtain photos taken during a coroner’s investigation into a death declared a suicide, so they can preserve them for an independent review of the case. If family members question the outcome of the investigation, they would have the right to request another law enforcement agency to review a death investigation officially deemed a suicide or an accident if there is a documented history of domestic violence.
***
HOLDING ABUSERS ACCOUNTABLE
Other countries have taken things even further. In 2020, France enacted lawsallowing for criminal indictment of a spouse or partner if harassment of a victim resulted in either an attempted suicide or death by suicide. England and Wales similarly allow for the possibility of a criminal charge of unlawful act manslaughter in the same instances.While criminal remedies are not always available, wrongful death lawsuits often achieve accountability by holding alleged abusers accountable in civil court.
To prove a death by suicide – an act generally regarded as intentional – was caused at least in part by another person, the family of the individual must meet a high bar. In the case of victims of domestic violence, they must specifically prove that harassing, abusive or bullying behavior directly led to the suicide.
Obtaining such proof isn’t simple – or inexpensive – and often involves a variety of legal specialists including probate attorneys, family law attorneys and civil litigators. It is an arduous and costly endeavor – to say nothing of its emotional toll.
Mica Miller Investigation: Scrutinizing The Presumption - FITSNews
"Down below the truth is lying ... beneath the river bed."
www.fitsnews.com
