Mica Miller Saga: Sister Of Chris Skinner Speaks Out For The Final Time

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Nearly four years after the death of Chris Skinner — a decorated Army National Guardsman and inspirational speaker who spent more than half of his life paralyzed from the chest down — his family is still searching for answers and accountability.

Meanwhile, those following the saga of Mica Francis Miller – the beautiful worship leader and aspiring missionary who died tragically last April – are eager to see if Skinner’s death is tied to the mushrooming controversy surrounding embattled Myrtle Beach, South Carolina pastor John-Paul Miller.

On September 6, 2021 — Labor Day — Skinner, 41, was found unresponsive at the bottom of the Emmens Preserve pool in Myrtle Beach. Approximately an hour before first responders arrived, surveillance video showed Skinner’s TracFab All Terrain wheelchair stopping several feet from the edge of the pool – and then accelerating rapidly into the water.

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Authorities ruled his death an accident and the coroner’s report revealed no signs of foul play – although the investigation into his passing was recently reopened.

Nothing about that day (or the days that followed) ever sat right with Skinner’s younger sister, Tamra McDermott.

“It doesn’t look like an accident to me,” she said, referring to the footage of her brother’s final moments.

In a powerful, final interview with FITSNews, McDermott opened up about the inconsistencies she’s uncovered as she looked into her brother’s death – as well as the retaliation she’s faced and the deeply personal cost of speaking the truth in a community that’s been anything but supportive.

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A COOKOUT THAT NEVER HAPPENED

The last time Tamra spoke with her brother it was in preparation for a holiday cookout — an event they’d planned together with his wife, Suzie Skinner. It was supposed to be a day of reconnection, celebration, and family.

Instead, Tamra received a phone call from a neighbor telling her Chris had died — that his body had been found submerged in their neighborhood pool. Her initial reaction was one of disbelief.

“My first reaction was, ‘Who let him in the pool?’” Tamra recalled.

Chris had limited upper body function and required assistance with basic daily needs. The idea that he would somehow roll himself — unassisted — into a swimming pool didn’t make any sense to her at the time. It still doesn’t.

But the red flags didn’t stop there…

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Tamra said her family wasn’t notified until hours after Chris was pulled from the water. And when body camera footage from the scene was finally released — months after his death — it revealed something they never expected to see: John-Paul Miller, his wife’s alleged paramour, was at the scene that day.

Chris’s family was never informed as to Miller’s presence at the scene.

Suzie Skinner arrived at the pool shortly after emergency responders and reportedly informed those attending to her husband that he had a “do not resuscitate” order. When asked to produce documentation of the order, she left the pool to retrieve it, but was unable to immediately locate the document. When she departed Emmens Preserve pool for the final time that day, it was not to join her husband at the hospital.

Instead, she departed with Miller and his wife.

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UNCOVERING THE TRUTH — AND THE BACKLASH THAT FOLLOWED

What began with quiet doubts soon evolved into a broader inquiry — one bolstered by witness statements, text messages and, eventually, a sworn affidavit from Alison Williams, the ex-wife of John-Paul Miller.

That affidavit — first reported by FITSNews last spring — outlined an alleged extramarital relationship between Miller and Suzie Skinner that predated Chris’s death. It also described how Chris had become increasingly concerned about the nature of that relationship between Miller and his wife in the weeks before he died.

“Just two weeks prior to this incident, (Skinner) had confronted J.P. and asked him to leave his wife and children alone,” Williams’ affidavit alleged.

Multiple witnesses have since come forward to say Chris was emotionally distraught, physically neglected and was contemplating confronting Miller directly about the alleged affair.

Still, when Tamra began sharing what she had learned, the backlash was immediate.

From online harassment and smear articles to coordinated social media attacks, Tamra says she has endured a relentless campaign to discredit her. One article — written by a Miller ally with a federal criminal record — even questioned her mental health and threatened her professional licensure.

“I’m a licensed counselor,” Tamra says in the interview. “And I consulted legal counsel before I ever spoke out. Everything I’ve said is backed up. Everything I’ve shared has been turned over to authorities.”

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VIDEO EVIDENCE RAISES MORE QUESTIONS

One of the most unsettling developments in the case came when Tamra reviewed the surveillance footage showing the moment Chris’s wheelchair entered the pool.

Rather than matching the narrative outlined in the original coroner’s report — that the chair got too close and slipped — the video shows Chris stop at the edge of the pool before suddenly accelerating forward.

“It doesn’t look like a mistake,” said FITSNews researcher Callie Lyons, who uses a wheelchair herself. “And if you know wheelchairs, you know that’s not how they move. That’s not how experienced users navigate.”

Even more disturbing? At least one witness recalled a comment from John-Paul Miller about wanting to control Chris’s wheelchair remotely. While no direct evidence has surfaced proving the chair was tampered with, Tamra and others believe this possibility was never fully investigated — and may have been prematurely dismissed.

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“One day (Miller) suggested it would be beneficial if they could remotely control Chris’s wheelchair,” the witness recalled. “Although the comment may have been framed as a joke, it deeply unsettled me. The idea struck me as dangerous and inappropriate, and it left a lasting impression that something was not right.”

According to the witness, who also spoke with law enforcement, Miller regularly assisted with the chair and seemed unusually involved in Chris’s personal routine — a fact that has raised additional scrutiny given the circumstances of his death.

“I just keep coming back to this question,” she said. “If it was an accident, why wasn’t the wheelchair kept as evidence? Why was it returned the same day and later donated?”

As we previously reported, Skinner withdrew from the church where he had once been an active member in the months prior to his death – purportedly due to the alleged affair between the pastor and his wife.

In 2025, during a Myrtle Beach magistrate court hearing in which Miller was seeking to silence critics and protesters by requesting restraining orders and damages, Suzie Skinner took the stand. Under oath, Miller asked her: “Are you my girlfriend?”

“Yes,” she replied.

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THE FIGHT FOR JUSTICE

Despite all the obstacles — and the trauma of losing not just one but both of her brothers — Tamra says she’s committed to continuing her advocacy. But this interview, she noted, will be her final statement on the case.

“I started with the intention of letting everybody know who he is,” she says. “But that does not mean that my advocacy for Chris has stopped.”

Her parents — who lost both of their sons — have stayed largely quiet during the investigation, but provided statements for the interview aligning with witness reports of changes in Chris’s physical and emotional care in the weeks leading up to his death.

Meanwhile, as noted, the coroner has quietly reopened the investigation into Chris’s death following sustained public and media pressure.

Chris Skinner’s story is still unfolding — and so is the pursuit of truth and accountability. The same is also true of Mica’s story.

As we exclusively reported, Mica was found dead of a gunshot wound to the head on April 27, 2024 at North Carolina’s Lumber River State Park – a sprawling 14,000-acre wilderness located roughly an hour’s drive northwest of Myrtle Beach. Her body was found at this secluded location a short time after she called 911 asking the operator to pinpoint her phone – stating she was “going to kill herself” and wanted her family to be able to find her body.

Mica had traveled to this park from Myrtle Beach earlier that day, and her body was ultimately found in a swampy area approximately 40 meters from where police recovered spent shell casings and her belongings. She died less than 48 hours after serving John-Paul Miller with divorce papers.

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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.

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