What We Know About The Mikayla Miller Case So Far

HOPKINTON, MA — One week ago, the death of Mikayla Miller had received almost no attention outside Hopkinton. But over the past week, after intense media attention and new details released by law enforcement, the case is well known across the state and has drawn the attention of politicians like U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley and state Senate President Karen Spilka.

But even after heightened attention, many facts about the case are unclear. Miller's family and supporters have alleged the teen may have been lynched, and that state police, Hopkinton police and Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan have tried to write off the death as just a suicide.

Law enforcement has largely rejected the lynching claims. Ryan held a mid-week news conference to show her office is taking the matter seriously, saying the investigation is open and ongoing.

A week after the case jumped onto the statewide scene, here's what we know and don't know about the death of Mikayla Miller.

Who was Mikayla Miller?

The 16-year-old was a Hopkinton High School sophomore, a basketball player and an honors student, according to mother Calvina Strothers. Miller, who was a member of the LGBTQIA community, wanted to attend a historically Black college or university to study journalism.

"Mikayla wasn’t a troubled child, she was a joy to her family, friends and teammates," Strothers said in a GoFundMe appeal. "She was never arrested or even suspended from school. Mikayla was a loving daughter, niece, and friend to so many."

How did Mikayla die?

Miller was found the morning on April 18 in a wooded area called Berry Acres about a quarter-mile from the apartment complex where she lived in Hopkinton, according to a trail map.

Law enforcement officials will not comment about the circumstances of Miller's death, even after serious allegations raised by Strothers and activists like Violence in Boston's Monica Cannon-Grant.

At a rally for Miller in Hopkinton on Thursday, former Boston City Councilor and activist Tito Jackson said Miller was found with a belt around her neck and "up against" a tree. Strothers has also said police told her on the morning of April 18 that her daughter had committed suicide.

"The officers stated that Mikayla had left the house the night before and prematurely concluded that Mikayla committed suicide without fully completing an investigation and a report from the Medical Examiner," Strothers said on the GoFundMe page.

That clashes with what Ryan has said: that details about the cause and manner of Miller's death won't be released until a medical examiner completes an autopsy. That process could take up to three months. On Friday morning, Cannon-Grant said an independent autopsy for Miller was in the works.

Asked if the autopsy process could be sped up, a spokesperson for Ryan said they will allow a coroner to "take the appropriate time to come to a ruling."

Who else was involved?

At a news conference Tuesday, Ryan said Miller met with four teenagers on April 17 (a fifth teenager was nearby inside a car) at Miller's apartment complex.

Miller and the four teens — two boys, two girls — got into some kind of fight between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. that evening. Miller left with a bloody lip. Strothers has said her daughter was "jumped" by the other teens, and she did report the incident to Hopkinton police. Strothers said Thursday at least two of the teens were 18 years old.

Ryan said the teens were white and Latinx.

On Thursday, Ryan's office told Patch "the investigation is open" about who started the fight on April 17.

It's also been rumored that one or more of the teens Miller fought with was the son or daughter of a Hopkinton police officer. Ryan's office told Patch, "We have no information at this time that supports that."

What happened after the fight?

Ryan said Miller left her home around 10 p.m. on April 17 and walked into a nearby wooded area. Cell phone data shows Miller only walked about 1,300 steps, which equals the distance from her home where her body was found.

Strothers said Thursday it would be impossible to tell where Miller traveled because her cell phone data was off, and she didn't have a Wi-Fi connection in the woods. Violence in Boston's Monica Cannon-Grant has also said Miller sent a Snapchat message after she left her apartment, which may have alerted others to her whereabouts.

Miller's body was found by a jogger before 8 a.m. on April 18.

Where were the other teens that night?

Ryan has said the four teenagers who fought with Miller were all accounted for between the night of April 17 and the next morning. The two boys were tracked traveled west along the Mass Pike with a relative, and later seen on surveillance footage eating at a Wendy's in Sturbridge around 9 p.m.

Two of the girls were together and accounted for during the overnight hours, Ryan has said. The fifth girl — the one who was waiting in a car — was vouched for by a relative, according to the DA.

Not all the teenagers were from Hopkinton, but Ryan's office won't say where the others were from.

Is the FBI involved?

No, but Cannon-Grant and Strothers want an independent investigation, and have specifically asked for the FBI to look into the matter.

Asked about the need for an independent investigation, Ryan's spokesperson told Patch, "We are committed to a thorough and transparent investigation and have committed to making all records public at its conclusion."