YouTuber Mikayla Raines’ husband, Ethan Frankamp, broke the news to the world of his wife’s death by suicide.
Frankamp became emotional in a Monday, June 23, YouTube video shared via the SaveAFox Rescue’s channel and claimed his wife had been dealing with “ridiculous claims and rumors” being spread about her online for a “few years,” including from rival animal sanctuaries. “And being the sensitive human that she was, Mikayla took it all to heart,” Frankamp said.
Frankamp claimed that Raines “ended her life” a couple days prior amid “rude words, accusations and name-calling” shared by people whom “she considered close friends.” Frankamp noted that Raines suffered from depression, borderline personality disorder and autism and alleged that the recent criticism made her feel “as if the entire world had turned against her.”
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“She couldn’t bear what she was feeling any longer and she ended her life,” Frankamp said. “It breaks my heart that someone who is selfless and devoted her life to animals could have so much negativity pointed at her.”
Us rounds up five things to know about Raines’ husband Frankamp:
Frankamp Is a Father
Raines and Frankamp shared daughter Freya, who they joked was the youngest employee of SaveAFox Rescue. “I love this little trouble maker so much 
,” Frankamp wrote via Instagram in July 2024. “Hey @saveafox_rescue we make REALLY cute kids, we should make another. Maybe not. Or maybe. 
.”
Frankamp Races Cars
Frankamp has several photos of cars on his Instagram account, including videos of him repairing and racing vehicles.
“Had an absolute BLAST racing my latest creation, this lifted Miata abomination! This is an event hosted by the International Ice Racing Association, and it took place on Madison Lake! Yes this is a bunch of cars ripping around on ice over a 60ft deep lake haha!” he wrote via Instagram in February. “This car took some hard abuse and never gave me one single issue, and got me 10th place out of 30+ cars. Hoping to do better next year! 
.”
Frankamp Is an Animal Lover
He describes himself on his Instagram bio as, “Father, husband, animal rescuer, car-builder, handyman, video editor, toilet clogger.” In a May Instagram video, Frankamp shared a close-up of a dragonfly. “He really just be vibin tho 
,” he captioned the post.
Frankamp Ran SaveAFox With Raines
Raines founded the nonprofit organization, which has amassed more than two million followers on YouTube, in 2017. She ran SaveAFox with Frankamp. The organization will adopt out the animals, but Frankamp noted that not everyone is built for raising a fox.
“There’s really not a lot of people who try to adopt that actually end up adopting,” Frankamp told CBS News in 2021. “It takes a pretty special person in the right circumstance and location to adopt a fox from us.”
Frankamp noted that a prospective owner needs to make sure their house is equipped to handle a fox. “We don’t want people to get the misconception that they are just laughing, funny dogs because that’s not the case at all,” Frankamp said. “We try to make sure we are honest with people and not glorifying them as adorable pets that are perfect because they definitely aren’t.”
Frankamp Plans to Continue SaveAFox Rescue
Frankamp concluded his tearful Monday video by sharing that he plans to continue his wife’s mission with the rescue organization.
“I will not let Mikayla’s light be extinguished,” he said. “I’m going to continue to push to rescue the remaining fur farm foxes and, after that, save as many animals as possible.”
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
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