HOPKINTON, MASS. (WHDH) - The Office of the State Medical Examiner has ruled the death of a 16-year-old girl from Hopkinton a suicide.
Mikayla Miller’s manner of death was suicide and her cause of death was “asphyxia by hanging,” her death certificate indicated.
Following the announcement, Middlesex District Attorney Marian T. Ryan released a statement reading in part:
“This ruling addresses the manner and means of Mikayla’s death. However, 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.”
Miller’s body was found along a trail off of West Main Street back on April 18, according to Ryan.
Ryan said earlier this month before Miller’s death, a fight broke out sometime between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. between her and two other teenagers at an apartment complex where the girl lived.
Miller’s cellphone then reportedly showed that later that night she walked more than 1,300 steps from her home, which was about the distance from her apartment to the spot where a jogger found her body in the woods the next morning.
Ryan noted that phone records appear to show the teens involved in the fight with Mikayla were not in the woods.
She said she has been in contact with representatives for Miller’s family regarding the outcome of the autopsy.
A vigil was held for the teenager in the Hopkinton town common just a few weeks ago. Her mother – and other community members – questioned how exactly she died and called for a thorough and transparent investigation.
Miller’s mother is set to join community leaders for a virtual news conference on Wednesday.
Organizers say “they will outline the concerning details surrounding Mikayla’s death and call for a comprehensive investigation into her potential murder.”
Prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump – who was most recently active in the Breonna Taylor and George Floyd cases – is also expected to take part.
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