I’m thinking of Mica Francis this afternoon, as we all know what was happening in the timeline at this time on April 27, 2024 – the day she was found dead of a gunshot wound in Lumber River State Park. Over the last year, I’ve spent hours of time on research and rebuilding what was happening in the days, weeks and months leading up to her death.
I have cried for her, been angry for her, and felt so proud of her as we realized how good of a paper trail she left so that people would be able to see exactly what she was trying to escape from.
Of course, her timeline on this earth ended that day, but her story didn’t end and it’s still not over. She wasn’t here to see it, but here are some key dates and events since she passed:
JP Miller released a ton of Mica’s purported mental health records, and they didn’t prove ANYTHING he claimed they proved about Mica’s mental health.
A church member was arrested for assault in July 2024 for spraying protestors with a water hose. That case is still working its way through the court system.
The FBI raided JP Miller’s home on November 1 in an impressive showing with a few dozen agents and an entire evidence truck.
JP was arrested for allegedly assaulting a protestor; that case is also working its way through the court system.
JP and his besties filed more than 30 lawsuits. All but four have been dismissed, and those defendants have active counterclaims filed against JP.
JP and his father, Wayne Miller, were named in two Jane Doe lawsuits alleging sexual assault of underage girls on the part of JP and enabling JP’s bad behavior on the part of Wayne.
The Solid Rock congregation scurried off to a tiny storefront church rebranded as Mercy Church with (reportedly) very few attendees
We dug deep into the Miller family and Wayne’s churchy businesses around the state of South Carolina — and we found that the rotten apple hasn’t fallen all that far from the cursed tree.
The Horry County Coroner’s office took another look at the death of Chris Skinner, the quadriplegic husband of Suzie Skinner, JP’s alleged girlfriend. Chris died in September 2021 after he appears to have intentionally steered his wheelchair into the neighborhood pool. The coroner’s office has yet to release any findings in its reinvestigation.
Horry County State Senator Stephen Goldfinch introduced a law aimed at criminalizing coercive control, which is a succinct way to describe the type of abuse Mica allegedly suffered at the hands of JP Miller.
Mica’s paper trail and the inaction on the part of multiple officers in multiple jurisdictions gave us everything we needed to see the patterns and systemic failures in Horry County — and it left us well equipped to investigate the Scott Spivey shooting and how the police appear to have done everything they could to make sure Weldon Boyd faced no legal consequences.
From everything I know about Mica based on the hours of phone conversations I’ve had with those who knew and loved her, I like to think she’s proud of the legacy she left and that she is able to rest in power knowing that people are on the move on her behalf.
In Honor of Mica Acacia Francis
March 7, 1994 – April 27, 2024
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