Tyler Gene McMillan
November 27, 1994 - June 12, 2008

On the night of June 11, 2008, Tyler's parents tied him to a tree in
the yard as punishment for not obeying them. This was the SECOND
time in two nights that they had used this punishment on him.

On June 10, Tyler had been disobedient and was tied to the tree 
for the first time and left there overnight. The following day, the 11th of June, he was allowed back into the house and that evening
when he was misbehaving again, he was once again tied to the tree.
In spite of warnings from the state that the area was unsafe due to
dense, acrid smoke coming from the Pocosin Lake wildfire, Tyler was
left outside over night. On June 12, 2008, his stepmother, Sandra, went out to untie him, around 4:30pm, however, it was too late, Tyler was already beyond help.

Authorities were called and when they arrived, they took Tyler to Heritage Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Tyler dad been tied to the tree with plastic ties that were much like plastic handcuffs, according to what his parents claimed, though Edgecombe County Sheriff James Knight didn't believe them and thought that other things might have been involved as well:

After authorities arrived, the child was taken to Heritage Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Law enforcement officials have not given a cause of death. James Knight said that he had an idea of what
it was that Tyler had been punished for, though he could not share
the information. He also said that he was not sure which parent had
been the one to initiate the punishment. Two other children, aged 
seven and nine, were removed from the home and placed in the
custody of the Department Of Social Services.

Before they had moved into this peaceful neighborhood, Tyler's
father and stepmother had checked things out a little bit. James
Pollard, a resident said that he was told Brice was a construction
worker. Janice Pollard stated that Brice had asked her about their
neighborhood several months before they moved in:

Macclesfieled is in rural southern Edgecombe. There is a lot of open
farmland and houses with shade trees lined up along two lanes of
road. James and Janice said they had no idea that Tyler was being
abused in his home:

What is odd to me is that Tyler was tied to the tree on Wednesday
night and reports say that he wasn't untied until around 4:30 pm on
Thursday afternoon. How is that NO ONE in that neighborhood saw
this boy tied to a tree during what is reported to be an 18 hour time period, yet, later, a report would say that a dog was tied to a tree in the yard? How could people see a dog and not a teenage boy?

After what happened to Tyler, people were left shocked and he was
the talk of the communities. When driving by the red brick farmhouse, people could see a dog tied to a tree, a horse roaming in the field out
back, a pen that kept two goats and six chickens and a wooden swing
set in the back.

Donna Harrelson said that she was at work when she heard about 
what had happened to Tyler. That Friday, she was at Tarboro High
School for the graduation of the latest class of seniors:

The father of a two year old boy said that if the situation ever got so 
bad at his house and he thought he had no other way to discipline his
son he would get help:

Brice and Sandra McMillan were arrested and charged with murder.
Records would show that Brice had been convicted of several driving
violations and Sandra was convicted of theft in Florida in 1991 and
had been placed on probation. Other than that, the two had never 
been in any trouble. Their first court appearance was scheduled for
Monday, June 16, 2008.

At the same time that Brice and Sandra were being brought into the
court house for their first court appearance, family and friends had
gathered to say goodbye to Tyler. Brice McMillan, his father, who was
41 at the time and Sandra McMillan, his stepmother, who was 36 at
the time faced charges of first degree murder and felony child abuse.

Brice and Sandra each had their own lawyer at their court appearance
on June 16. In court, the formal charges against them were read. In
court, Sandra kept her head down and was quiet the whole time and when the charges were read against them, Brice is said to have been
close to tears. A probable cause hearing was set for July 2, 2008 and they were both being held without bail at the Edgecombe County Detention Center.

Authorities would have to wait until autopsy results came back before
they would know the cause of death. If Brice and Sandra were to be
convicted of his death, they could face either life in prison or the
death penalty.

Meanwhile, at the Greenville Church, where Tyler had grown up, his family and friends had gathered to bury him, pay their respects and
say their final goodbyes to the boy who loved to play outside with
his cousins and had many hobbies. Tyler would be buried next to his
mother in the family cemetery, she had died of Cancer in 2004.

The family of Tyler asked that in place of flowers, donations could
be sent to an educational fund set up for Tyler's younger brother:

P.O. Box 2483
Winterville, N.C. 28590

In December of 2008, an autopsy report showed that Tyler had most
likely died from dehydration and heat stroke. Also revealed by the
autopsy was the fact that Tyler had insect bites all over his body and
bruises that seemed to be caused by a rod like instrument. There was
also flesh missing from his buttocks and marks on his wrists and 
ankles which show he was tied up with plastic ties. The autopsy report said that Tyler's temperature was 105.6 degrees when he was taken to the hospital. 

The results of the autopsy were released after WRAL television station
in Raleigh challenged Judge Franklin R. Brown ordered it sealed, the result of a motion filed by the defense. Layers for WRAL wrote to the
judge in October challenging his ruling. 

The dispatcher who took the 911 call on the incident asked Brice and
Sandra several times what Tyler was doing before he had stopped
breathing. Brice told the dispatcher that Tyler didn't have any medical
problems. Towards the end of the call, Brice and Sandra had stopped
responding to questions asked by the dispatcher.

Brice and Sandra were scheduled to appear in court again on January
13, 2009. On March 10, 2009, Sandra was released after posting bail on a $200,000. secured bond which had been set by Judge Milton Fitch Jr. of the North Carolina Superior Court. The bond requires
Sandra to live with her cousin in Cary and wear an electronic monitor
at all times. Sandra is not allowed to leave the state and would be
giving limited visits with her eight year old daughter who lives with
her grandparents and will be called as a witness at Sandra's trial.
Sandra is allowed to leave her residence ONLY for attorney visits.

Sandra entered a plea of not guilty during her appearance in court in
January of 2009. Brice also plead not guilty to charges against him, he is being held without bail. The District Attorney's Office stated that 
they will not seek the death penalty against Sandra, though they have
not said if they will seek it against Brice. A tentative date has been set
for trial for Sandra, for July 6, 2009

GREENVILLE -- Tyler Gene McMillan, 13, passed away Thursday, June 12, 2008, at Heritage Hospital. The funeral service will be conducted Monday at 10:30 a.m. in Jarvis Memorial United Methodist Church. Burial will be beside his mother in the family cemetery. 

Tyler was born and raised in Pitt County. He began his schooling at Greenville Christian Academy and then attended Trinity Christian School. He grew up attending Jarvis Memorial United Methodist Church. Tyler was active in many hobbies. He enjoyed reading, fishing, karate, being a Boy Scout and watching Professional Wrestling. He loved playing outdoors with his cousins. 

He has gone to join his mother, Michelle (Mickie), who preceded him in death. 

He is survived by his father, Brice B. McMillan and stepmother; brother, Ryan Wesley McMillan; stepsister, Bryanna; paternal grandparents, Sam and Vi McMillan; maternal grandparents, Carl and June Sasser and Dessa Forsythe; and a very large and loving extended family. The family will receive friends at Wilkerson Funeral Home Sunday from 5 to 7 p.m. 

In lieu of flowers, donations for an Educational Fund for his surviving brother in the name of Ryan Wesley McMillan may be sent to P. O. Box 2483, Winterville, NC 28590. Online condolences at StarNewsOnline.com 

Mrs. Michelle Sasser "Mickie" McMillan
GREENVILLE, NC - Mrs. Michelle Sasser "Mickie" McMillan, 37, went to be with the Lord Friday, September 24, 2004, at her home.

The funeral service will be conducted Wednesday at 2 p.m. in Jarvis 
Memorial United Methodist Church. Burial will follow in the Brown Family Cemetery near Belvoir.

Mickie was born in Havre de Grace, Maryland, and grew up in Charlestown, Maryland, and in Wilmington, North Carolina. A 1984 graduate of Laney High School in Wilmington, she moved to Greenville where she received two degrees from East Carolina University: in 1988, a BA degree in Broadcasting Communications, and in 1994, a BS in Mathematics. She was employed at WITN-TV for several years and had taught Math at Wellcome Middle School for 10 years, prior to retiring due to disability in 2003.

Mickie was a member of Jarvis Memorial United Methodist Church, where she was active in the Children's Ministry and in the contemporary service. In addition to her work in the children's ministry, she also was a longtime volunteer for the Children's Miracle Telethon. Mickie was a devoted wife and mother, a loving daughter and sister.

She is survived by her husband, Brice McMillan; and sons, Tyler Gene McMillan and Ryan Wesley McMillan, all of the home; father and stepmother, Carl and June Sasser of Wilmington, NC; mother, Dessa S. Forsythe of Charlestown, MD; brother, Brian Sasser; and sister, Shannon Sasser, both of Wilmington, NC; maternal grandmother, Gertrude "Coo-Coo" Starling of Charlestown, MD; and numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, extended family and friends.

The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Wilkerson Funeral Home.

Memorials may be made to Jarvis Memorial United Methodist Church, 510 S. Washington Street, Greenville, NC 27834; or to Trinity Christian School, 3111 Golden Road, Greenville, NC 27858.

Wilkerson Funeral Home, Greenville.

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