YouTube Star Mikayla Raines Dies By Suicide At 29
Documenting her and her sanctuary's efforts on Instagram and YouTube helped her develop a social media presence and attracted traditional media attention, with various foxes featured in her posts also going viral in their own right. Her death by suicide, said by her husband to be a result of online harassment, has received widespread media coverage and sparked discussion about cyberbullying and mental health.
| Channel | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Subscribers | 2.45 million[1] |
| Views | 837.7 million[1] |
According to the post, the 29-year-old YouTuber took her own life after she allegedly faced bullying from people whom she considered "close friends".
Mr Raines said that for years, his wife suffered from various mental health issues and struggled to cope with online criticism. "She couldn't bear what she was feeling any longer and she ended her life," he said in the video, adding that her death is "the biggest loss of my life."
We have suffered a loss that is unimaginable," Mr Raines wrote in the caption of the video. "Mikayla was truly the most amazing and inspiring individual I have ever known, and not having her here makes everything feel empty. I feel broken." "But I will continue her dream, and I hope to have your support going forward so that we can do good in her name," he added.
In the video, Mr Raines said that his wife, who founded her Minnesota-based non-profit in 2017 when she was just 20 years old, was "one of the most selfless people I have ever known". But due to her work with animals, she faced several challenges in her private life.
Further, Mr Raines said that in recent years, his wife and her animal rescue non-profit had allegedly been the focus of an "online bullying campaign" from people she knew, including those who worked at "other animal sanctuaries".
He said this "hurt her a lot", and while she initially "pushed through," things got worse in recent months when people "she considered her close friends" started joining in.
"It breaks my heart that is selfless and devoted her life to animals could have so much negativity pointed at her," Mr Raines said. "Those of you that pushed her to this, every one of you that had been responsible for making her feel this way, I wish you had to feel what she felt. I wish you had to feel what I feel," he added.
