|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Hundreds of individuals donated an estimated $15,000 intended for the family of Mica Francis Miller – the late South Carolina pastor’s wife whose tragic story has continued to capture the nation’s attention. Yet of those thousands of dollars in donations – sent via a TikTok group – the Francis family says it received only $180.
The alleged fleecing is the latest ugly wrinkle in a saga full of heartbreak.
To recap: Mica’s body was found with a gunshot wound to the head at 4:23 p.m. EST on April 27, 2024 at North Carolina’s Lumber River State Park – a sprawling 14,000-acre wilderness straddling this scenic blackwater river. Mica traveled to this remote location from Myrtle Beach earlier that day, and her body was discovered by police in a swampy area approximately forty meters away from where spent shell casings and her belongings were recovered.
***
Mica’s death was officially ruled a suicide by North Carolina investigators and medical examiners, but the bizarre manner in which her husband announced her passing – and subsequent allegations of harassment and abuse against him leveled in multiple court filings – raised doubts and put him squarely in the public’s crosshairs.
The passing of Mica Miller was so impactful – and the circumstances surrounding it so terribly unresolved – many people were driven to reach out to the family in support. In such situations, it is not uncommon for bad actors to try and manipulate
That’s what the Francis family said happened in this case…
In a statement released yesterday on Facebook, the Francis family called out the TikTok content creator “So Called Mess” and encouraged those who participated in their fundraising efforts to report them for fraud.
“We did not plan on making a statement pertaining to this but since the group made it public we feel the need to clarify what’s been going on as we do not condone what has happened on the live stream,” the Francis family stated on social media. “We are not making a post to shame anyone we just want to clear up all of the rumors and hope that everyone who was taken advantage of will make a report so that it can be handled properly.”
***
It started with the TikTok group reportedly hatching plans for an auction and Etsy page to sell donated items to raise money for the Francis family – unbeknownst to the family and without their approval. By the time the family became aware of the efforts, there were already questions about where the money was going.
“The family had no idea what was going on but are truly upset with the actions of this incident,” the statement continued. “If you donated money to the auctions, bid on items purchased tickets or tokens, paid for items and have not received them, or have not received items from the Etsy here is the link if you would like to make a report for theft of money and goods.”
Since then, the situation has quickly deteriorated with news that a group leader allegedly took the funds for her own personal use.
“Tuesday, September 24th I received a phone call from their bookkeeper saying she stole all the money that was donated and scammed everyone,” the Francis family said in their statement. “She said she spent the money on her mortgage and addictions that she has.”
***
***
One group member who spoke with FITSNews said she donated $200 to the cause – believing the money would go to the family as intended. She said questions about the fate of the donated funds began months ago – but the group leadership insisted it had been sent to the Francis family.
Last Friday – October 4, 2024 – the Francis family received messages saying the group was pursuing charges against its bookkeeper.
“Mind you this all started back in June and people have been questioning this whole time – asking where’s the money?” the donor explained. “They have been lying to everybody, saying it’s been sent or telling us it’s none of our business, even though we were the ones that gave the money for the fundraiser because we wanted to support the Francis family.”
Now the feeling of camaraderie and common purpose she felt as a member of a group which appeared to be united in its desire to do something for Mica’s family is gone. In its place? A deep hurt. The donor – who reported the alleged fraud to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – said she is reeling from the deception.
“These people used Mica’s name to gain profit and we cannot be more disappointed,” the family said. “The leader of their group, Cassie, said we are not owed any more of an explanation just because Mica lost her life and that she did not need permission to use our family name in order to accept donations and fundraising since they intended to help our family. Our family is not connected to their group or affiliated with them.”
Cassie Gainey Mincey of Loris, S.C. fired back against the allegations in a message posted to TikTok…
***
@autisticmama38 #honesty #transparency #ididmybest ? original sound – autisticmama38
***
“I have never said the things that have been said about me, I have never said those things,” she said. “And if they were taken that way, then I truly, truly from the bottom of my heart apologize.”
Cassie said the day the family reached out to her was “the day we all found out we were scammed.”
“That was the day that we found out that all of the hard work that we had been trying to do for ‘Justice for Mica’ had been smeared, and we had been lied to, we had been used – and made a fool,” Mincey said in the video. “That was an emotional day. We were an absolute emotional wreck that day. I will admit that I was on the defense. I was emotional. I was an absolute freaking wreck that day.”
While the group bookkeeper appears to be taking the blame for the missing money, the donor we spoke with believes there is much more that needs to be explained.
“They’ve known that the money was missing since early June and were lying to everybody all this time,” she said.
Stay tuned to FITSNews for the latest in this developing story…
***
UPDATE |
***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Callie Lyons is a relentless investigative journalist, researcher, and author known for exposing hard truths with heart and precision. As a journalist for FITSNews, she dives into high-profile and murky cases—like that of Mica Francis Miller— with fearless resolve and a sharp eye for detail, whether it’s tracking white-collar crime, uncovering religious abuse, or examining the often-bizarre behavior of those who believe they’re above the law.
Callie made waves with her groundbreaking 2007 book Stain-Resistant, Nonstick, Waterproof and Lethal, the first to reveal the dangers of forever chemicals, a story that helped inspire the film Dark Waters and influenced global scientific dialogue. Her work has appeared in numerous documentaries, including Toxic Soup, National Geographic’s Parched: Toxic Waters, and more recently Citizen Sleuth, which examines the complexities of true crime podcasting.
Whether she’s navigating environmental disasters or the darker corners of society, Lyons operates with one guiding belief: “Truth never damages a cause that is just.”
***
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.
8 comments
No mention of the person who admitted to stealing the money in this article. She wasn’t a bookkeeper she has a name Sue Nelson. That’s whose name should be included in this article. This article is missing some facts and I have lost respect for FITNEWS simply reporting information without having all the information to back all of the claims in this article up.
Shame on FITSNEWS for not posting the “bookkeeper’s” name who openly admitted to stealing the money. Her name is Sue Nelson. She was not the bookkeeper either she was the person who organized the fundraisers from the beginning. As a member and moderator for SoCalledMess I feel like the author should have reached out to SoCalledMess and gotten information from her before choosing to post this article.
I am ashamed of FITSnews for posting this misinformation without further investigation. The person’s name whose idea it was to have these fundraisers, and who provided all knowledge and products for said fundraisers, is SUE NELSON. She was the person handling all money, all spreadsheets and ALL communication between the family. SUE NELSON preyed on and seeked out people who were and are striving to find justice for Mica and took advantage of their kindness and desire to help the Francis family. SUE NELSON lied, manipulated, scammed and defrauded hundreds of people, INCLUDING people in the So Called Mess group and Cassie herself. SUE NELSON told everyone she had an attorney and an accountant, which is false, going so far as to fabricate emails to manipulate people. This is not the first time SUE NELSON has created scams to include fundraisers, and she is very good at fooling people. Her home is in foreclosure, she has no contact with her family, and she has SERIOUS addiction issues. She had HUNDREDS of people believing what she said, not just Cassie. This is a VERY unfortunate situation for everyone involved but ESPECIALLY Mica’s family. One person is to blame for this, and it’s SUE NELSON. Publishing this article without the correct information (including someone’s full name without their permission) from all sides is dangerous.
This is REPULSIVE. You put an innocent woman’s entire name on the internet without doing any further investigation into this. The “bookkeeper” exploited, stole from, and lied to the entire So Called Mess group. The smallest amount of looking into this would show the recorded admission to this. But instead, you’ve chosen to put a young woman’s live in danger by revealing her entire name online after accusations of theft. You should be ASHAMED.
Will Folks I’ve emailed you. I’m highly disappointed in this article. I heard the admission from the person who took all the money as well as hearing the day she told the member of Francis family what she had done. I have the truth and all the proof you need of it.
I used to have such respect for your reporting, but with reading this article I have learned that you are not thorough at all. You don’t do your homework. You don’t cross your t’s and dot your I’s. We look to the news to get the truth and you’re obviously not doing that. You didn’t even list the person, Sue Nelson, that actually committed this crime. You need to either issue a correction or a retraction, which I’m not very confident you’ll do either because you’re probably like the rest of the news media just as dirty and corrupt as the rest of them now. Maybe you’re not and if that’s the case then prove it!
I’m disgusted by what has happened, & I definitely agree that Cassie holds some blame. Unfortunately, that’s just how it goes when you trust someone & allow them to use your platform to raise money. But I am seriously in shock that Fitsnews would list Cassie’s entire name, but not SUE NELSON who is the one who admitted to keeping the money.
This is the third time I’ve seen FN get their facts wrong just in the Mica case alone. What the heck is going on over there?
This entire article is bogus. Shame on this news source and shame on Callie Lyons for terrible journalism filled with opinions, zero facts, and one sided stories. You took statements from a girl who is angry and bored with herself, so she needed to cause all of this. Luckily noone truly uses this low grade news platform. Callie Lyons, you shouldn’t have a job, you’re a joke, not a journalist.