|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Less than a week after announcing that the suspicious death of South Carolina pastor’s wife Mica Miller was a suicide, the Robeson County, North Carolina sheriff’s office released another statement on Monday. According to the agency, its investigators have requested the assistance of both the United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in connection with the case.
According to the statement, the department involved both agencies early on in the investigation due to “information gathered during the investigation and jurisdiction reasons.”
The Robeson County Sheriff’s Office has been in contact with the United States Attorney’s Office and Federal Bureau of Investigation in South Carolina since the early stages of the Mica Miller investigation. Based on the information gathered during the investigation and jurisdiction reasons, the Sheriff’s Office has requested the assistance of both agencies. No other information will be released at this time. Anyone with information pertaining to the Miller investigation in South Carolina is asked to contact the Columbia, S.C. FBI Office at 803-551-4200.
-Robeson County Sheriff’s Office
The Robeson County statement fanned the flames of speculation concerning this case – on multiple levels. In addition to reviving unanswered questions about the conclusions of the investigation into Mica Miller’s death, the release raised the specter of a broader inquiry into Miller’s husband – pastor John-Paul “JP” Miller – as well as the Solid Rock at Market Common church he leads and the “ministries” it provides. Reports were also swirling as to a potential federal investigation into Miller’s family – which has what can only be described as a shady past related to its own “ministries.”
In the aftermath of news reports hinting at a federal component to the Miller investigation, our founding editor Will Folks reached out to multiple contacts familiar with the situation in an effort to determine whether there was any validity to the stories.
According to his sources, as of yesterday afternoon there was not “an active FBI investigation into any facet of this story.”
“The feds have received plenty of information related to the case, but as of this writing no decision to initiate an investigation has been made,” Folks posted to X, citing his network of federal law enforcement and prosecutorial sources.
***
***
Even after Robeson County issued its statement, our federal sources stood firm on their prior assessments. In fact, one source with direct knowledge of the situation told us there was “inaccurate reporting going on” regarding the FBI’s involvement with the case.
Several of these sources indicated the situation was fluid – and that the feds could potentially get involved in the case at some point in the future (perhaps even the very near future) – but that as of Monday there was no federal component to the Miller case.
As we exclusively reported two weeks ago, Miller’s body was found on Saturday April 27, 2024 in a remote pond at the Lumber River State Park in North Carolina. Her husband – whom friends and family members say abused and “brainwashed” his wife in the months leading up to her death – was cleared as a suspect by authorities on May 7, 2024.
Foul play was – and by many, still is – suspected given the alleged physical, sexual and psychological abuse Mica Miller is said to have sustained at the hands of her husband.
Miller made claims to friends and family that if she “ended up with a bullet in my head, it was not by me, it was JP.”
Did she mean that figuratively? Or … literally?
Miller’s family has publicly questioned many aspects of the investigation – and made efforts to protect her estate in the aftermath of Mica’s death. Last week, attorney Jarrett Bouchette filed an application with the Horry County probate court on behalf of her sister, Sierra Francis, seeking to appoint Francis as a special administrator of Mica’s estate. Attached to this application were affidavits and exhibits detailing why friends and family were – and are – demanding a more thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death.
(Click to view)
According to these filings, the timing of Mica’s death was very suspicious – and spurred by fear of assets being transferred, the Miller’s attorneys hoped to obtain an order which would restrain John-Paul Miller from disposing of, encumbering, transferring, selling, hypothecating, pledging, destroying or otherwise altering the status or value of any marital asset.
At this time, beyond the preliminary request, it is unknown the extent of the involvement of the federal agencies or the scope of the investigation.
As part of our ongoing coverage of this perplexing case, I’ll be joining reporter Andy Fancher – who attended Mica Miller’s seaside memorial service earlier this week – to retrace what police insist was Mica’s final journey from Myrtle Beach, S.C. to the Lumber River in North Carolina.
Stay tuned for ‘Mica Miller’s Final Moments,’ a FITSNews special live post later this afternoon (May 14, 2024).
***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Jenn Wood is FITSNews’ incomparable research director. She’s also the producer of the FITSFiles and Cheer Incorporated podcasts and leading expert on all things Murdaugh/ South Carolina justice. A former private investigator with a criminal justice degree, evildoers beware, Jenn Wood is far from your average journalist! A deep dive researcher with a passion for truth and a heart for victims, this mom of two is pretty much a superhero in FITSNews country. Did we mention she’s married to a rocket scientist? (Lucky guy!) Got a story idea or a tip for Jenn? Email her at jenn@fitsnews.com.
***
WANNA SOUND OFF?
Got something you’d like to say in response to one of our articles? Or an issue you’d like to address proactively? We have an open microphone policy! Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. Got a tip for a story? CLICK HERE. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? CLICK HERE.
