The wife of a well-known Southern pastor made a heartbreaking call to 911 just minutes before she was found dead in a state park last month.
The results of a weeks-long investigation into what happened to 30-year-old Mica Miller, the late wife of pastor John-Paul Miller, on April 27 were shared by the Robeson County Sheriff’s Department on Tuesday — including details about his last confessional phone. call to dispatch.
John-Paul said Mica died by suicide when he announced her death to his congregation at the Solid Rock at Market Common church in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina — but her loved ones doubted the claim and pressured police to investigate further.
Now local detectives have revealed everything they know about what happened before Mica’s death.
Robeson County Dispatch received a call from a woman, who they now know to be Mica, at 2:54 p.m. that Saturday, according to the local CBS affiliate. WBTW.
“The caller asked the dispatcher if her phone could be located because she was going to kill herself and wanted her family to find her body,” police said in a statement.
Read more about Mica Miller
Authorities said Mica hung up the phone, but the dispatcher was able to pinpoint the caller’s location and send help.
Police arrived at Lumber River State Park within the hour and used a drone to pinpoint its location.
They spotted his black Honda Accord in the parking lot and found a gun case inside, but no sign of Mica.
Police then received two more calls, one from a fisherman who heard someone crying followed by a gunshot and the second from a canoeist who said he had found a body in the water.
Mica’s body was located in the river by detectives at 5:30 p.m.
The medical examiner confirmed on Monday that his professional conclusion was that she had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
LAST MOMENTS
Police said Mica was caught buying the Sig Sauer 9mm handgun that killed her just hours earlier at a pawn shop in Myrtle Beach.
After grabbing the gun, investigators said she stopped at a grocery store and searched her phone for “state park.”
MICA MILLER’S MOVEMENTS IN THE FINAL HOURS
On May 7, Robeson County Police released everything they knew about Mica Miller’s final moments:
- 10:13 am: Doorbell footage shows Miller leaving a Myrtle Beach apartment
- 11am: Doorbell footage shows Miller returning to the same apartment
- 11:38 am: Doorbell footage shows her leaving again
- 12:12 p.m.: Surveillance cameras see her entering Dick’s Pawn Shop at 1852 Mr. Joe White Avenue in Myrtle Beach
- 12:32 pm: She is seen on camera buying the gun
- 12:34 p.m.: Her car is recorded leaving the parking lot
- 1:27 pm: Security footage shows Miller entering 41 Grocery & Grill in Mullins and getting directions to Lumber River State Park
- 2:54 pm: Dispatchers receive a 911 call from the park parking lot
So she went straight to Lumber River.
It appears Mica then called 911 and left his tragic last message before entering the river, police said.
Investigators said they have evidence to support John-Paul’s claim that he was in Charlotte the night before and the day of his death.
He traveled to a nearby city for a sporting event on April 26 and was spotted driving down the highway with passengers during his return to Myrtle Beach at 2:22 p.m. next day.
TRAUMATIC PAST
Tuesday’s report shared other startling details about the days leading up to Mica’s death.
The month before her death, Mica filed a restraining order against an unknown person who she said stalked her and slashed her tires twice.
The caller asked the dispatcher if her phone could be located because she was going to kill herself and wanted her family to find her body.
Robeson County Police
Around the same time, she said she found a tracker in her car.
Police also revealed that she had served divorce papers on John-Paul just two days before her death.
Speculation that foul play may have been involved in Mica’s death has been intensified by the emergence of old social media posts discussing trauma and abuse.
Police did not release further details Tuesday about the identity of the person against whom Mica filed a restraining order.
SUSPENDED PASTOR
John-Paul was suspended from Solid Rock Church on Sunday, according to a memo seen by local ABC affiliate WPDEand the church website went dark.
His last sermon at church – the day after Mica was found dead – was recorded on video and raised some doubts among family and friends.
In the clip, John-Paul can be seen joking as he appears to give a typical speech, before turning serious and asking the congregation to remain silent for an important update.
“I got a call last night that my wife just passed away. It was self-induced and it happened in North Carolina,” he said.
“You knew that she was not well mentally and that she needed medicine that was difficult to get, so I’m sure more details will come,” he added.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, please call or text 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.orgor text Crisis Text Line at 741741.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story