15 hours ago
Overwatch 2 players pay tribute to Mikayla Raines who died by suicide
The Overwatch 2 community is mourning the death of YouTuber Mikayla Raines. The news was confirmed by her husband, Ethan Raines. Ethan, on June 23, uploaded a video to YouTube channel explaining that his wife had taken her life after being harassed online.
He said, 'They consistently spread ridiculous claims and rumors, and being the sensitive human that she was, Mikayla took it all to heart, adding it hurt her a lot. For years, she pushed through the pain of people trying to bring her down. But this time, it went too far.'
Mikayla Raines had launched Save A Fox Rescue in 2017, an animal rescue nonprofit based in Lakeville, Minnesota, when she was just 20 years old. The organisation focuses on saving foxes from fur farms and finding them permanent homes and, as per its website, has rescued over 150 foxes.
The internet has been paying tribute to Raines on her tragic demise.
Shortly after news of Raines' death, the Overwatch 2 community had their attention turned to a 2024 Facebook post from SaveAFox.
'Did you know that in Overwatch 2, Kiriko's fox spirit features the sounds of your favorite SaveAFox foxes?' they said.
The resurgence of this post took the OW2 fandom by storm, with many learning about Mikayla and her story.
'This news hit me like a truck. I didn't know her foxes voiced the Kitsune, my heart broke even more now. I'd like to think she found peace that the people that pushed her into this decision will never find,' someone else chimed in.
So far, Blizzard has yet to address Raines' death, and it's unclear if they plan to add an in-game item as tribute to her.
Mikayla Raines was a YouTuber who founded SaveAFox Rescue.
According to reports, Mikayla Raines took her life after prolonged online harassment.
SaveAFox Rescue is an animal rescue nonprofit based in Lakeville, Minnesota, that was founded by Mikayla Raines in 2017.
