Harrowing new details in tragic death of YouTube star found dead by her husband
According to the Midwest Medical Examiner's Office, Raines hanged herself in the barn on her property in Faribault, Minnesota.
She was found dead on June 20 wearing a fleece onesie, a shirt, boxer briefs and socks.
Her husband, Ethan Frankamp announced her death to her loyal followers on Instagram on June 24. He said that she'd long struggled with mental health issues, including depression, borderline personality disorder, and autism.
Raines was reportedly cremated and a funeral was held in her honor on Saturday, July 12.
The 30-year-old was on the receiving end of online harassment and bullying leading up to her death.
In his statement, Frankamp said, 'She was so sensitive...She took everything negative to heart.
'For a few years a group of people had been throwing dirt on Mikayla's name,' he said.
'They consistently spread ridiculous claims and rumors and being the sensitive human that she was, Mikayla took it all to heart. And it hurt her.'
Frankamp found Raines in the barn and performed CPR on her for fifteen minutes while he waited for help to arrive, but it was too late.
He said that recently, she had come to a breaking point with all of the negativity she was facing online.
'She felt as if the entire world had turned against her...She couldn't bear what she was feeling any longer and she ended her life.'
Raines was known on YouTube and TikTok as a passionate animal advocate. She gained millions of followers after founding Save a Fox rescue where she cared for abandoned foxes and foxes bred for pelts on fur farms.
Her rescue has locations in Minnesota and Florida. Her husband promised to keep them running in her absence.
'Every single animal here just lost their best friend,' he said.
She also used her personal platform to educate her followers about autism and advocate for autistic adults like herself. Her TikTok page has over three million followers.
Her husband described her as a loving mother to their daughter Freya, a devoted wife, and a 'light' for animals her entire life.
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