SUMTER, S.C. — The death of Mica Miller, the wife of a South Carolina pastor who had previously accused her husband of abuse, has been determined to be a suicide by the local medical examiner. The body of the 30-year-old woman was discovered at Lumber River State Park on April 27, just days after she had served her husband with divorce papers, court documents revealed.
According to Richard Johnson, the Robeson County Medical Examiner, Miller died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Johnson dismissed speculations that the gunshot wound was at the back of her head. Prior to her death, Miller had expressed fears for her life to her sister, Sierra Francis, stating that if she was ever found dead in the manner she was found in the park, her husband should be held responsible. This information was disclosed in an affidavit filed by Francis in Horry County Probate Court.
Miller, who met her husband when she was a teenager and he was in his late twenties, had shared details of being violently abused by her husband with her family and members of their church. In the weeks leading up to her death, she had found a tracking device on her car and had her tires slashed on multiple occasions. Additionally, police reports from March 11 detailed allegations of stalking, with Miller expressing fear for her life as the suspect showed up at her location multiple times in a single day.
While John Paul, the pastor who married Miller in 2017, claimed she suffered from various mental disorders and did not always take her medication, her sister insisted that she was looking forward to her future. Miller had plans to move to Kenya part-time for missionary work after the divorce. The family is now calling for a thorough investigation into Miller’s death.
Pastor John Paul has since been relieved of his ministerial duties at Solid Rock.
Authorities are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding Mica Miller’s tragic death.