Tyler
Gene
McMillan
November
27, 1994
- June 12, 2008
What is
a reasonable
punishment to expect for disobeying a parent? Is it
losing your
life? ABSOLUTELY NOT! However, that is what the parents
of Tyler
McMillan, if intentional or not, made him give when
he
disobeyed them.
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:
"There
were
other things on the body that led us to
believe
they
used something different"
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:
"I
told him
it was the most peaceful place he'd ever find"
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:
"If
I had known
he was tied to a tree, I would have
gone
over
there and got him loose. That was ridiculous"
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:
"I
think that's
some sorry parents. I think they need
to
do the
same things to the parents"
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:
"I'd
certainly seek help. That's everybody's general
reaction
to
it, just outrageous"
"That
is not
how you discipline your children, by tying
them
to a
tree. In my opinion that's cruel and inhumane
to
do that
to a child”
Carolyn
Pollard
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.
"It
is alleged
that on that date you did intentionally
commit
an
assault, resulting in serious bodily injury,
bruising
to
the wrist, cuts to the entire body, missing
flesh
from
the buttocks, the result from being tied to a
tree
for approximately
18 hours, resulting in the death
of
Tyler Gene
McMillan"
Edgecombe
County District Court Judge Joseph Harper
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.
We
will miss
Tyler very much and are in shock,
disbelief
and unbearable grief"
The
family
of Tyler
Read
On Facebook: Justice For Tyler McMillan
<>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
Tyler's
Obituary
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
Obituary
for
Tyler's birth mother
STARNEWS
ONLINE.
WHITEVILLE, COLUMBUS COUNTY,
NORTH
CAROLINA.
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.
For
information about
preventing child abuse in the state of North Carolina, click the links
below. If they can't help you, ask for someone who can. NEVER
give
up looking for help for an abused child!
Call
this number
to report child abuse ANY WHERE in the United States!
1-800-4-A-Child 
1-800-422-4453
   
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