Animal rights advocate Mikayla Raines, who built a following of over 2 million subscribers on YouTube by sharing her rescue work, has died by suicide.
Raines’ husband Ethan said she had endured what he described as an “online bullying campaign” carried out by strangers, members of the animal rescue community, and people she knew personally.
“They consistently spread ridiculous claims and rumors, and being the sensitive person she was, Mikayla took it all to heart,” Ethan said in an emotional video shared to the social media accounts of Raines’ Minnesota-based wildlife rescue organization Save a Fox.
Raines was 30 and lived in Lakeville, Minnesota, where she ran a non-profit rescuing animals including foxes.
He added that “for years she pushed through the pain of people trying to bring her down,” but more recently, the harassment came from some of those Raines considered close friends, leaving her feeling like “the entire world had turned against her.”
Speculating that the cyberbullying stemmed from jealousy and envy, Ethan said he wished “those who pushed her to do this” had realized the impact of their actions “before it had to go this far.”
“It breaks my heart that someone who is selfless and devoted her life to animals could have so much negativity pointed at her,” he said.
He shared that he performed CPR on Raines for 15 minutes until first responders arrived and described her death as “the biggest loss of my life.” He added that their young daughter, Freya, was “heartbroken.”
Ethan noted that Raines had been battling depression and borderline personality disorder.
He also said that she had been on the autism spectrum, which made her life “very difficult” but also allowed her to “hyperfocus” on animals.
Raines founded Save a Fox in 2017 when she was 20-years-old, according to NBC News, and raised funds for the nonprofit by documenting the lives of the foxes in her care on social media, building an audience of 2.4 million YouTube subscribers and over 500,000 Instagram followers.
Recalling how Raines would “forgo sleep, eating and showering if there was an animal that needed her help,” Ethan said he would continue her mission of saving as many animals as possible.
“I gave Mikayla all of my love and energy, and I will do the same with this rescue going forward,” he said.
If you or a loved one are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing or texting 988.
