Mikayla Miller Fought With 2 Teens Hours Before Her Death: DA

HOPKINTON, MA — Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan offered new details about the April death of Hopkinton teenager Mikayla Miller, saying the 16-year-old was involved in a fight with two peers hours before she walked away from her home.

During a news conference Tuesday, Ryan addressed the Black high schooler's death amid growing outcry about the investigation. Some have suggested Miller's death was racially motivated, and that she may have been the victim of a lynching. Ryan stressed the investigation is still ongoing, and couldn't provide details about how Miller died.

"The most important takeaway should be that no final conclusion has yet been reached," Ryan said. "This case will not be closed until we have exhausted all avenues."

According to Ryan, Miller was at a clubhouse at her apartment complex along Revolutionary Way between 5:15 p.m. and 6:40 p.m. on April 17 when she fought with the two peers — one boy and one girl. Five teens visited with Miller at the clubhouse that evening, including one girl who Miller was involved with romantically, and another who remained in a car outside the building, Ryan said.

Following the fight, Miller's mother called Hopkinton police to report her daughter had been jumped, Ryan said. Officers went to the teen's apartment near 7:30 p.m. and saw that she had a bloody lip, Ryan said.

Miller's mother went to bed between 9:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. Shortly after, Miller left her apartment and walked about 1,316 steps into a wooded area; investigators traced her steps using data from her cell phone, Ryan said.

"That distance is approximately the distance between [Miller's] home and the place where her body was located," Ryan said.

A jogger found Miller on April 18 before 8 a.m. in a wooded area. She was found with her phone and a backpack.

Ryan said the four teens that Miller had contact with on Saturday night had alibis. Two girls were accounted for between about 8:45 p.m. Saturday to 5:48 a.m. Sunday. Investigators tracked two teen boys driving to Charlton and eating at a Wendy's in Sturbridge on Saturday night. Another girl was confirmed to be home at the time of Miller's death, Ryan said.

Groups across the state have been calling for answers in Miller's death, fearing investigators were hiding key details about the case.

"Mikayla Miller's family should be planning college visits for their daughter. Instead, they're planning her funeral," the ACLU of Massachusetts said in a tweet Tuesday. "Justice would be if Mikayla was alive today. Her family deserves answers and accountability.

The group Violence in Boston is planning a vigil and rally for Miller. The event begins on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. along East Main Street in downtown Hopkinton.