Personal items belonging to the ex-wife of the South Carolina pastor who committed suicide in a North Carolina state park were found by a local fisherman who said he heard crying moments before the discovery heartbreaking.
Mica Miller, 30, was found in Lumber River State Park suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, after apparently crying for several minutes before the fatal shooting.
A fisherman walking up and down the nearby river claimed to have heard screams and the fatal gunshot before discovering Miller’s belongings lying along the bank.
“She had her license, her bank card, her keys in her bag, a small Bible, her purse, all her credit cards, a few receipts and a few things,” Johnnie Jacobs told WBTW.
“As I decided to stop fishing, I came back and stopped where they call it a flow or lake off the river,” he said. “So I stopped there with my little boat and maybe five minutes later, and maybe five minutes into the journey, I heard a scream. I heard it for about two or three minutes. Then I stopped, I heard a gunshot. Then the crying stopped.
Although the fisherman did not see Miller’s body, Jacobs said he would have helped him if he had.
“If it was a person crying in the open, I would have watched them all day,” he said. “I just wish I had gone there and watched her.”
Authorities also provided a timeline of when Miller left her home and went to buy a gun at a store in Horry County on her way to the state park.
Miller’s husband, Pastor John-Paul Miller, casually announced his wife’s death after giving a sermon to his congregation at Solid Rock Church in Myrtle Beach.
“I got a call late last night, my wife passed away. It was intentional and it happened in North Carolina,” Miller said the day after his death.
“You all pray for me, my children and everyone. You all knew she wasn’t doing well mentally and needed medication that was hard to get. I’m sure there will be more details to come, but keep his family in your prayers.
Robeson County Medical Examiner Richard Johnson ruled Miller’s death a suicide, saying she died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
“Based on the nature of the injury, it is consistent with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. And it was not in the back of the head, as has been speculated,” Johnson said according to ABC 15.
Miller’s death came two days after her husband received divorce papers from her, according to court documents.
A 911 call to the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office revealed that Miller was wondering if authorities could trace her phone to the wooded area where she was found dead.
Before her death, she allegedly told her sister that if she was ever found dead in the same manner as she was found in the park, her husband would be responsible, according to an affidavit filed by her younger sister Sierra Francis in court Horry County Estates.
Mica Miller also alleged to relatives and other church members that she had been abused by her partner, according to her sister’s affidavit.
The pastor’s lawyers have denied the allegations of manipulation and
“After Mica Miller’s untimely death, unfounded rumors and false accusations began to circulate on social media and in various media outlets suggesting Pastor Miller’s involvement in her disappearance,” said attorney Russell B. Long. . according to News13. “This created a buzz, causing local and national media to spread these lies in gigantic proportions. Our client denies any reports suggesting he abused his wife.
A recently appeared Facebook video recorded by Mica Miller captured her speaking to the camera while discussing her recent mental health struggles.
“I’m going through a lot and it’s hard, and it’s my cross to bear. It’s the thing that God put in my life to deal with it,” she said.
“I don’t want to involve a lot of people. When your world is turned upside down you need to take a break, I can only pray that more people take a break.
“Thank you for all your prayers and support, please know that I have to keep my circle very small at this time. It’s the best way I know,” Miller added.
New York Post
