MYRTLE BEACH (SC)
The Roys Report [Chicago IL]
May 14, 2024
By Liz Lykins
Local law enforcement investigating the controversial death of Mica Miller have reached out to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in South Carolina and the United States Attorney’s Office for help, ABC 15 News has reported.
The media outlet said the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office announced the development on Monday.
The Roys Report (TRR) reached out to the sheriff’s office for more information but did not hear back. However, Veronica R. Hill, Public Affairs Specialist at U.S. Attorney’s Office, confirmed her office has been in contact with the sheriff’s office but wouldn’t further “confirm/deny/comment on investigations.”
Mica Miller’s death at Lumber River State Park in North Carolina on April 27 has been making headlines globally for concerning details surrounding it. Mica’s family members allege that John-Paul Miller was abusing Mica, and that Mica feared for her life.
Additionally, Mica and her husband were in the process of divorcing at the time of her death, TRR previously reported.
John-Paul Miller remains the pastor of Solid Rock at Market Common in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, but was released from all ministerial functions shortly after Mica’s death for “a time of healing, counsel, and guidance.”
“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 reportedly stated. “Based on the information gathered during the investigation and jurisdiction reasons, the Sheriff’s Office has requested the assistance of both agencies.”
The sheriff’s office ruled last week that his Mica’s death was suicide based on a medical examiner’s report, 911 call records, security footage, witness testimony, and receipts from a gun purchase, TRR reported.
John-Paul Miller Accused of Having Sex with Minors
Meanwhile, more concerning details have surfaced about John-Paul Miller.
Miller’s first wife, Alison, claimed the pastor engaged in sex acts with minors younger than 16 and had an addiction to prostitutes, according to a 2017 affidavit obtained by the Daily Mail.
Alison also claimed that John-Paul was caught in an affair with Mica in 2015 while Mica worked as the couple’s babysitter. At that time, Mica was married to John-Paul’s then-best friend, Jeremy Deas, the affidavit said.
Public records show Alison and John-Paul Miller filed for divorce in 2015.
In her 2017 affidavit, Alison alleged that John-Paul Miller confessed to her and church staff that he had sexual encounters with women under the age of 16 at the church.
According to archived versions of the Solid Rock Ministries website, John-Paul Miller founded Solid Rock Ministries in 2006, when he was in his 20s. The website says he “holds several Bible School degrees and is currently continuing his education at a local Bible College as well as Horry Georgetown Technical College.”
In 2016, John-Paul Miller began leading Solid Rock at Market Commons. TRR repeatedly contacted Solid Rock at Market Commons for more details but did not hear back prior to publication.
TRR also reached out to John-Paul Miller’s lawyer, Russell B. Long, for comment but did not hear back before publication.
“Our marriage and my husband’s career were less than stable at the time, because at the time my husband’s affair was discovered, he had previously admitted to both me and our congregation that he had an addiction to prostitution,” Alison reportedly wrote.
Instead of removing Miller as leader, Alison claimed that church officials told the pastor to get counseling for his sex addiction. Miller refused to get counseling, which caused many church members to leave.
“When he refused, the majority of our church left the congregation,” Alison reportedly stated in the affidavit. “His marital misconduct not only destroyed my marriage, but also caused me to lose my church family and income, along with severely damaging the relationship between the defendant and our children.”
In one of the latest accusations against the pastor, the publication NewsNation unearthed an email from the pastor where he confessed to posting a topless photo of Mica Miller on social media, TRR reported.
“I’m sorry for putting a picture of you on the internet,” he said in the email. “It was for less than one hour and immediately taken down. I was hurt that you are telling everyone horrible intimate details of my past sin, and I just wanted to try and hurt you. Please forgive me. It was evil of me to do that.”
Court documents have also come to light that show Mica accused the pastor of grooming her for years and stealing her car.
John-Paul Miller’s attorney, Long, refuted the claims that Mica was groomed by her husband in a statement last week. Long called the suggestions that the pastor was involved in Mica’s death “unfounded rumors and false accusations.”