Mica Miller

Mica Miller, a 30-year-old White woman from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, was remembered in her obituary as energetic, adventurous, faithful, and loving. A friend described her as having a heart for missions, and she was an active member of her community, leading the women’s ministry and worship team at Solid Rock Church at Market Common.

On April 27, 2024, Mica drove to Lumber River State Park in Orrum, North Carolina. At approximately 2:54 p.m., she made a 911 call, telling the dispatcher she was going to kill herself and asking if her phone could be tracked so her family could find her body. She then hung up, and dispatchers were unable to re-establish contact. Authorities used her phone’s location to dispatch deputies to the park, where they found her black Honda Accord in a parking lot. Inside the car, investigators discovered a gun case for a Sig Sauer handgun, a box of ammunition, and receipts from a pawn shop and a convenience store dated for that same day.

During the search, a fisherman approached law enforcement and reported that he had heard someone crying, followed by a gunshot. He had then found a bag containing Mica’s identification near the water’s edge. Soon after, another 911 call came in from someone who had discovered a body in the water. Authorities responded and recovered Mica’s body. A Sig Sauer 9mm handgun was found in the water nearby, and its serial number matched the gun case found in her car.

The North Carolina Medical Examiner’s Office later determined that Mica Miller died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, and her death was officially ruled a suicide. In the months leading up to her death, Mica had told police she was scared for her life after finding a GPS tracking device on her vehicle and a razor blade on her tire. She and her husband, Pastor John-Paul Miller, were estranged and in the process of a divorce. Investigators confirmed that on the day she died, John-Paul Miller was at a sporting event in Charleston, South Carolina. Despite the official ruling, Mica’s family and friends publicly questioned the circumstances, alleging she had been a victim of harassment and coercive control.

In the following months, the case saw significant legal developments. In July 2024, Mica’s family reached a confidential civil settlement with John-Paul Miller and his church. On November 1, 2024, FBI agents conducted an authorized search of John-Paul Miller’s home in Myrtle Beach. Subsequently, federal prosecutors indicted him on charges of cyberstalking and making false statements to investigators. The indictment alleged a pattern of harassing behavior toward Mica that began in November 2022 and continued until her death, including placing tracking devices on her car, damaging her tires, and posting a nude photograph of her online without consent.

John-Paul Miller pleaded not guilty to the federal charges. As of January 2025, the case is awaiting a jury trial.