Mica Miller: Couple friends of South Carolina pastor's wife say the manner of her death 'doesn't add up'

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

LUMBER RIVER STATE PARK, NORTH CAROLINA: A couple friends of Mica Miller, the wife of South Carolina pastor John-Paul Miller, are in shock over the news that she died by suicide last month, and think the manner of her death doesn't "add up".

The Robeson County Sheriff's Office released a statement on Tuesday, May 7, refuting the "conspiracy theories" that have been circulating about Mica's death since her body was discovered at Lumber River State Park on April 27.

Couple claims Mica Miller was an 'amazing' woman

Mica Miller's death was declared a suicide by investigators, according to the sheriff's office, "based on surveillance footage, interviews, physical evidence and the examination of the North Carolina Medical Examiner’s Office."

At the time, Sheriff Burnis Wilkins stated that the inquiry had "tugged on people's hearts across the nation."

Despite the investigators' conclusions, a husband and wife who were close to Mica and saw her a few days before she died, spoke with PEOPLE, saying they are mourning the "amazing" woman they knew and sharing their doubts about what happened to her.

“It doesn't add up to me. Not from everything she said and not from who she was,” said the wife, who like her husband asked not to be quoted by name given the sensitivity of the case.

Mica Miller, 30, was described by woman's husband as "full of adventure" and "light," citing her generosity toward her church community.

"She was always giving out as much as she could for the church and for the people," the husband said. "You'd see bags underneath her eyes because she was just always giving so much of her time and herself just pretty much to everyone else."

However, the couple affirms that her marriage to John-Paul was unhealthy, which is consistent with the announcement made by authorities this week that the pair was divorcing.

John-Paul Miller claimed Mica had mental health issues

It was reported that John-Paul served as the pastor of a Myrtle Beach church. On camera, he is heard informing his congregation that Mica has died and that it was "self-induced."

“I’m just kind of going on adrenaline right now, so y’all pray for me and my kids and everybody,” he said then, going on to claim his wife had mental health issues.

However, the friends who talked to PEOPLE gave a different account.

"She went back to him because of the church," the wife said. She called John-Paul the "worst narcissist" and accused him of having a "very twisted mind."

"She was scared," the husband talked about Mica. "You could tell she was just scared about everything. She looked us in the eye and she said, 'I'm scared. I want to live.'"

Recalling "those words" has driven him "crazy," the husband said.

Nevertheless, the couple claimed that despite Mica's failing marriage, she had been improving.

"She was being encouraged and loved and supported ... She had people that were there for her for whatever she needed, and she really turned a page," the wife said.

The wife claimed that "change became evident in [Mica's] life" by the second weekend in March. "She started dreaming about her new life," the wife added. The couple claimed to be at the beach with her two days prior to Mica's death, on April 25.

"I told her, I said, 'I'm so proud of you. You have come so far,'" the wife recalled. "'I know you're still hurting, and I know it's hard still, but you really have come far. You see him for who he is. You are moving past him. You are making plans.' I told her, 'I am so proud of you.'"

"She said, 'You know what? I'm proud of myself too,'" the wife recalled. "'I think I'm mentally okay.' She said, 'Some days are hard, but I have times where I get to see my friends and it's better.'" 

Mica Miller's body was discovered in water

According to the authorities, Mica was last seen on a doorbell camera leaving her Myrtle Beach home on the day she died, at approximately 11:38 am local time.

She dialed 911 in Robeson County at around 3 pm from Lumber River State Park in North Carolina, and when investigators got there, they discovered her car, according to officials.

According to the sheriff's office, shortly after, someone went up to the authorities and said he "had found a bag near the water edge with an identification belonging" to her. Eventually, the body of Mica was discovered in the water.

The wife claimed that she never felt as though Mica was "saying goodbye" or "that she no longer wanted to be there" on April 25. The couple claimed that Mica is "in a better place now."

“But that her life was taken from her has been the hardest thing we've ever had to endure," the wife said.

The sheriff's office revealed in a statement on May 7 that they discovered that Mica's husband was in Charleston, South Carolina, on the day of Mica's death, attending an athletic event.

According to the authorities, on the night before and the day of Mica's death, neither he nor a woman he is "allegedly romantically involved with" were in North Carolina.

John-Paul "was given the opportunity to attend" a meeting with police on May 7, despite having "indicated through his attorney that he would not come to North Carolina" to attend.