The home of John-Paul Miller, a Myrtle Beach pastor who was married to the late Mica Miller, was raided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, a spokesperson confirmed Friday, Nov. 1.
The federal search comes more than six months after Mica Miller was found dead in Lumber River State Park just north of the South Carolina border in North Carolina. Authorities ruled her death a suicide.
About five law enforcement vehicles were on scene Friday afternoon.
Dennis Blair, a neighbor of John-Paul Miller, said he heard a bullhorn in the morning announcing that the FBI was there to execute a search warrant. He said agents entered the house after realizing nobody was home. Blair said he saw a cardboard box was removed and that others saw evidence bags taken and put in an FBI vehicle.
The couple was in the middle of a divorce when Mica Miller was found dead of a gunshot wound at the park. Mica Miller had filed for a permanent restraining order from her husband, the pastor of Solid Rock Church at Market Common, on April 15, less than two weeks before she was found dead.
North Carolina authorities ruled Mica Miller’s death a suicide and details about her and John-Paul Miller’s whereabouts were shared on social media by the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office, who provided video of Mica purchasing a firearm at a pawn shop and video of John-Paul Miller’s truck traveling on Highway 17 Bypass just before Mica Miller’s death.
The sheriff’s office said he was in Charleston for part of the day.
An audio recording of a woman calling 911 dispatch saying she was about to commit suicide and that she wanted her family to know her whereabouts was also shared on social media by the sheriff’s office.
Rumors swirled on social media about Mica Miller’s death, with many speculating that Mica did not take her own life. And protesters have consistently picketed outside of Solid Rock at Market Common with messages including “justice for Mica” and “end domestic violence.”
The FBI has a policy of not sharing information about or confirming or denying whether an investigation is ongoing. But FBI Columbia Division spokesperson Kevin Wheeler confirmed to My Horry News on Friday that the department was on scene. “The FBI was at [John-Paul Miller’s house] conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity. I cannot provide any other details beyond that,” he wrote.
