Updated May 18
Death of Massachusetts teen found in woods is ruled a suicide
The 16-year-old girl, who is Black, was involved in an altercation with five white teens the day before her body was found, according to the girl s mother.
By Associated Press
Share
HOPKINTON, Mass. The death of a teen whose body was found near her family’s Hopkinton home last month has been ruled a suicide, authorities said Tuesday.
The state’s medical examiner found that 16-year-old Mikayla Miller, who is Black, died by suicide, according to a statement from the Middlesex District Attorney’s office. But the office said the case is still under investigation.
Updated 2 hours ago
NBC Universal, Inc.
Hopkinton teen Mikayla Miller’s mother will be part of a virtual news conference Wednesday with attorney Ben Crump and other community leaders to demand further investigation after her death was ruled a suicide.
Crump, a civil rights attorney, has represented the family of George Floyd and other Black people who have died at the hands of police and vigilantes. Download our mobile app for iOS or Android to get alerts for local breaking news and weather.
Mikayla Miller died from asphyxia by hanging, according to a death certificate filed by the Massachusetts Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. The 16-year-old was found suspended from a tree near a town path on the morning of April 18, according to a search warrant.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump will add his voice to those supporting the family of Hopkinton teen Mikalya Miller whose death has generated distrust toward law enforcement and raised concerns about the racial climate in the suburban town best known as the start of the Boston Marathon.
Violence in Boston says independent autopsy results will be released
Strothers could not be reached for comment on Tuesday. Monica Cannon-Grant, of Violence in Boston, also could not be immediately reached.
However, on Tuesday, in an online talk show called “Java With Jimmy,” Cannon-Grant said an independent autopsy has been completed and she plans to release its results on Thursday.
Cannon-Grant also claimed Ryan’s office leaked information to a news source about criminal charges filed last year against Strothers for allegedly striking Miller. Cannon-Grant said the charges are expected to be dropped in July.
Ryan, in a statement on Tuesday, said her office has spoken to the attorney of Miller’s family about the ruling, but did not say what that conversation entailed.
The death of Mikayla Miller has been ruled by Massachusetts medical examiners as a suicide.
Miller, 16, was found dead by a jogger in a wooded area near her Hopkinton apartment complex on the morning of 18 April.
After a delayed and fraught police investigation, examiners concluded that the 16-year-old died from asphyxia by hanging, according to a death certificate obtained by NBC Boston.
The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office announced the findings in a statement Tuesday (18 May), writing: “Our investigation into the events surrounding Mikayla’s death remains active and ongoing.
“We will continue to explore every investigative angle necessary as we do that work and intend to issue a complete and thorough report at the conclusion of the investigation.”