Photo: @saveafox_rescue/Instagram
Animal rights activist influencer Mikayla Raines died by suicide at the age of 29 after being the victim of relentless online bullying, her husband, Ethan Frankamp, revealed in a video shared on Monday (June 23).
Raines, a founder of the Save A Fox rescue center who gained popularity online as a content creator, was targeted in an "online bullying campaign" by people she knew and people who worked at "other animal sanctuaries" over the years, according to her husband.
“To those of you that pushed her to this, every one of you that had been responsible for making her feel this way, I wish — I wish you had to see me find her, and I wish you had to watch me perform CPR on her for 15 minutes until the first responders arrived,” said Frankamp, who shared a daughter with Raines. “I wish you had to watch helplessly as paramedics attempted to revive her lifeless body.”
Raines' close friends recently began criticizing her, which Frankamp claimed caused her mental health to shift drastically.
“She felt as if the entire world had turned against her,” he said. “She has always battled with borderline personality disorder, causing emotional instability as well as impulsive behaviors, but this time it went too far. She couldn’t bear what she was feeling any longer and she ended her life.”
Frankamp said that his wife, who had autism and battled with depression during her life, was victimized by people spreading "garbage" rumors and urged others that felt "lost and hopeless" to reach out to loved ones or call a suicide hotline for help.
“Despite this being the biggest loss of my life and feeling like I have a literal hole in my chest, I will not let Mikayla’s light be extinguished and I won’t let negativity win,” he said.
Raines' death was announced one day after Frankamp shared a video of her smiling after rescuing a lemur.
Frankamp said he would continue to "do whatever I can" with Raines' Save A Fox rescue center, which has a Youtube channel with more than 2.45 million subscribers.
If you or someone you know is at risk of suicide please call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.