|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
A batch of newly released police reports and 911 calls are filling in some of the blanks about Mica Francis Miller‘s interactions with South Carolina law enforcement agencies in the weeks leading up to her death on April 27, 2024. The reports show that from February 7, 2024 to April 15, 2024, Mica contacted police at least 14 times seeking assistance related to her estranged husband, John-Paul Miller, the pastor and founder of the since-shuttered Solid Rock Church in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
The tragic end to this story is, by now, well-known to national audiences: Mica’s body was found at Lumber River State Park in North Carolina on the afternoon of Saturday, April 27, 2024 with a gunshot wound to the head. She traveled to that location after first purchasing a gun at Dick’s Pawn Shop in Myrtle Beach earlier that day.
Mica’s body was discovered by police in a swampy area approximately forty meters away from where spent shell casings and her belongings were recovered. On April 28, 2024 – less than twelve hours after being notified of her death – John-Paul Miller delivered a sermon at Solid Rock which closed with a bizarre announcement of her passing. Miller told congregants not to discuss Mica’s death as they departed the church.
Mica died less than 48 hours after serving her husband with divorce papers, and subsequent court filings detailed allegations of abuse and harassment against Miller from multiple individuals – including his first wife.
News of Mica Miller’s suspected suicide were first reported by FITSNews on May 2, 2024. From there, the story exploded onto the national stage – fueling all manner of suspicion (most of it revolving around John-Paul Miller). Interest in the story reached a fever pitch on November 1, 2024 when agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) executed a search warrant on his Horry County home.
***
RELATED | FBI SEARCHES JOHN-PAUL MILLER’S HOME
***
In the weeks leading up to her death, Mica Miller pleaded with police for help. Of the fourteen 911 calls she placed, five referenced tracking devices allegedly having been placed on her vehicle.
On the evening of February 6, 2024, John-Paul contacted the Horry County Police Department (HCPD) to notify them of a “mental health pick-up order.” According to a dispatch report (.pdf), he claimed order was from her doctor and Miller was suffering from “mental issues” including bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. He further told police that Mica was driving a white 2019 Honda Civic – and proceeded to give her location on George Bishop Parkway heading toward 501.
The report noted Mica was not violent and had no history of violence. It also stated “no one is reported to be in danger.” About five minutes into the call, John Paul explained he wasn’t following Mica but was “watching her on the map.”
Miller continued to update her location in real-time as Mica stopped at a “red light under Fantasy Harbor Boulevard” heading toward Conway and then on Highway 501 as she passed “Honeysuckle going out of Aynor.”
When police made contact with Mica some time later, she informed them she was not returning to Horry County that evening — her sister had invited Mica to her house. The responding officer was unable to convince her to meet them. On February 8, 2024, Mica returned to Myrtle Beach and checked into the hospital under the ordered involuntary commitment. She was released on February 10. While she was in the hospital, Mica began contacting HCPD to report that her belongings had been stolen by her estranged husband – including her phone, laptop, purse, notary seal, and car.
***
Over the next few days, Mica repeatedly attempted to file a report about the items her husband allegedly stole from her while she was hospitalized. On February 21, 2024, an officer met Mica in the parking lot of Dick’s Pawn Shop to take a report about her stolen vehicle. Mica told the officer she believed John-Paul had “fraudulently initiated her involuntary commitment.”
When she was ultimately released from the facility and returned to the place where her car was parked, the “vehicle was gone.”
When police contacted Miller about the car, he indicated it was in his possession – and that he was unwilling to give it back for a month. According to him, Mica suffered episodes – usually around Christmas – when she would recklessly spend large amounts of money after going off of her medication. He said he had taken possession of the vehicle to prevent Mica from selling it during her “episode.” Police decided the car was marital property – and the issue with the car a civil matter.
Four days later – just after 4:30 p.m. EDT on February 25, 2024 – John-Paul Miller called 911 in a panic saying Mica and her father, Michael Francis, were trying to gain entrance to his home. He told the 911 operator they were banging on the doors and windows. Less than three minutes later, John-Paul claimed Mica and her father had returned to the vehicle they arrived in. Outside, Mica also called HCPD and said her husband had invited her there that evening to pick up her car. As a result of this interaction with police, John-Paul forbid her father from coming to his home.
(Click to view)
***
In March, Mica placed a number of calls to 911 reporting trackers found on her vehicle – and other vehicles she was driving. In one instance, she told dispatchers a tracking device have been found on her vehicle the day before when she was supposed to be in court.
Surveillance camera footage from the courthouse was reviewed and did not show anyone putting the tracker on her vehicle. She concluded someone must have put the tracker on her vehicle before the court appearance in an attempt to prevent her from showing up.
(Click to view)
***
The last call from Mica referencing a tracking device – as far as we know – was placed on April 15, 2024, twelve days before she was found dead. But, as anyone who has followed this saga knows, the calls and the craziness did not end there.
On April 30, 2024 – three days after her death – John-Paul Miller tried to gain entrance to the apartment where Mica had been staying with an elderly roommate to collect her personal effects. John-Paul called police and asked for help since Mica’s former roommate refused to let him in. According to the police report (.pdf), there was already “an indefinite warning” regarding John-Paul for the entire apartment complex.
When police arrived, they turned him away.
Undeterred, Miller returned to the apartment at 9:53 p.m. on May 3, 2024 – the day after our first report regarding his wife’s death was published. On that date, a 911 caller reported a burglary in progress (.pdf). The caller claimed Miller was trying to break in to the apartment and could be seen on camera trying to get inside. The caller was not on scene, but the roommate was – and described hearing noises coming from the apartment which “sounded like someone (was) in there.”
A description of the suspect’s clothing was provided, but by the time police arrived on scene nearly fifteen minutes later, the suspect was gone. The police report concluded its officers were “unsure whether it was the suspect or not.”
Days later, a neighbor in Miller’s subdivision placed a 911 call claiming there were several young Filipino-looking women at the pastor’s house. The caller suggested the potential for abuse and trafficking – citing prior reports from a neighbor who accused Miller of “beating one of those girls up not too long ago.”
(Click to view)
***
It is unclear what became of this complaint. As of this publication, FITSNews has not been provided with a police report about that incident.
No criminal charges have been filed in connection with any of the incidents referenced in these reports. Six weeks ago, Miller was arrested by officers of the Myrtle Beach Police Department (MBPD) on a third degree assault and battery charge following a dispute with a protester near his church.
Meanwhile, the federal investigation into John-Paul Miller has been the subject of significant speculation. Some believe it is tied to Mica Miller’s death, others believe it is linked to the purportedly shady history of his church’s finances – and the religious empire of his father, Reginald Wayne Miller.
FITSNews continues to investigate every possible angle of the Mica Francis Miller story. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact research@fitsnews.com.
***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Callie Lyons is a journalist, researcher and author. Her 2007 book ‘Stain-Resistant, Nonstick, Waterproof and Lethal’ was the first to cover forever chemicals and their impact on communities – a story later told in the movie ‘Dark Waters.’ Her investigative work has been featured in media outlets, publications, and documentaries all over the world. Lyons also appears in ‘Citizen Sleuth’ – a 2023 documentary exploring the genre of true crime.
***
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.
1 comment
This J.P. Miller guy gives me the creeps. It is my opinion that he shouldn’t be trusted with anything. Although Mica may have taken her own life, it sure seems that she was driven to it. It seems that law enforcement was not taking her seriously and was believing the outlandish ranting of J.P. As the truth. He comes across as extremely conniving. Anyone who continues to follow “the teachings” of Miller best not rub him the wrong way. If they do, they too may end up in a state park with a “self inflicted” fatal wound. I truly hope that justice will be served here on earth and Miller will be fully exposed and prosecuted. And……these crazies that are allowing him and aiding and abetting him to transfer ownership of his property to a “church” to try to protect it from being seized or liens placed against it are also complicit imho.