Federal authorities have been called in to probe the death of Mica Miller, the wife of a South Carolina pastor who local officials said died by suicide when she shot herself last month.
The Robeson County Sheriff Office reportedly announced Monday it has requested help from the US Attorney’s Office for South Carolina and the FBI to investigate Miller’s death as questions swirled around her damaged relationship with estranged husband John Paul Miller.
The sheriff’s office said last week that Miller, 30, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after her body was found in North Carolina woods on April 27.
Miller also called a dispatcher claiming she was going to kill herself and was seen buying a gun before leading up to her death, the law enforcement agency said.
The sheriff’s office has said her husband, 44, was not involved in her death. She had slapped John Paul divorce papers days before her death.
“The Robeson County Sheriff’s Office has been in contact with the United States Attorney’s Office and Federal Bureau of Investigation in South Carolina since the early stages of the Mica Miller investigation,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement on Monday, according to WPDE.
“Based on the information gathered during the investigation and jurisdiction reasons, the Sheriff’s Office has requested the assistance of both agencies. No other information will be released at this time.”
The pastor allegedly sent an email to Mica apologizing for posting a topless photo of her online weeks before her death, NewsNation reported, citing a copy of the note.
Mica’s loved ones have urged cops to “deeply” probe her death. They also claim that John Paul abused his wife, though the pastor has denied it.
John Paul Miller was in South Carolina when Mica died, the sheriff’s office said.
Several days after Mica received the apology note over the photo, she sent her lawyer an affidavit claiming she’d been “abused in every way I can think of” since they tied the knot.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.