Updated 6:44 p.m. ET
The Massachusetts Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled Tuesday that a Black teenager from Hopkinton who was found dead last month died by suicide, according to the office of Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan.
The body of 16-year-old Mikayla Miller was discovered in a wooded area of Hopkinton on the morning of April 18, hanging from a tree along a trail near her home. In the weeks that followed, her family raised the possibility that she had been murdered and accused Ryan of slow-walking the investigation, something Ryan denied.
The ruling from the medical examiner addresses the manner and means of Miller’s death, Ryan's office said in a statement, adding that it has been in conversation with the family’s attorney.
“Our investigation into the events surrounding Mikayla’s death remains active and ongoing," the statement said. "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 mother, Calvina Strothers, said at a May 6 vigil that police didn't properly follow up on an early report from her that Miller had been attacked by five white and Latino teenagers the night before her body was found and did not give her details on the discovery of Miller’s body.
After news of the medical examiner's findings broke Tuesday night, activists announced in a statement posted on social media that Strothers will appear at a virtual press conference Wednesday, May 19, alongside civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, former Boston City Councilor Tito Jackson and representatives from advocacy groups the National Black Justice Coalition and Violence in Boston.
"They will outline the concerning details surrounding Mikayla's death and call for a comprehensive investigation into her potential murder," the statement said.
Ryan told GBH News that, although there was an altercation that night, there was not enough evidence to press charges. An investigation into that incident is ongoing. She also said that her office had reviewed multiple lines of evidence confirming that none of those teenagers were with Miller at the time she died. Ryan has also said previously that neither Miller’s race nor the fact that “she was a member of the LGBTQIA community” had any bearing on how her office handled the investigation into the teenager’s death.
“We will continue to be in contact with Mikayla’s family’s representatives moving forward, and we are asking for continued patience as we perform this critically important work," Ryan's office said Tuesday.
Clarification: This story was updated to include the fact that the Middlesex District Attorney's Office is continuing its investigation into the physical altercation that occured before Mikayla Miller's death even though officials have said there isn't enough evidence to press charges yet.
