YouTube’s “SaveAFox” Founder Mikayla Raines Dies After Sustained Online Harassment

25 June 2025

A photo of Mikayla Raines and her foxes via Instagram. Mikayla Raines/Instagram

Mikayla Raines, founder of the SaveAFox Rescue sanctuary and a beloved animal rights advocate with over 2.4 million YouTube subscribers, died by suicide on June 21, 2025, at the age of 29, her husband, Ethan, confirmed that years of relentless online bullying, even from within her own support network, played a devastating role.

Ethan shared in an emotional video posted by the nonprofit that he found Mikayla unresponsive after she had been targeted in a calculated online harassment campaign. He performed CPR for 15 minutes as first responders arrived but could not save her. He described her as deeply empathetic, describing how the negative messages, rumors, and unkind attacks some from acquaintances and other animal rescue professionals eroded her spirit, making her feel as though “the entire world had turned against her”.

Diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and autism, Mikayla’s sensitivity was both her gift and her burden. It fueled her original mission spending sleepless nights caring for foxes but also made her vulnerable to criticism. Ethan explained that enduring unrelenting pressure and emotional volatility took a fatal toll. In her final days, she even played with a rescued lemur, sharing a joyful video with her followers moments now frozen in memory.

Mikayla launched SaveAFox in 2017 at the age of 20. What started on her family’s rural Minnesota property blossomed into the largest fox rescue organization in the United States. By 2023 the nonprofit had raised over $1.3 million in revenue and helped over 150 foxes in need. She documented her efforts online, building a devoted following that revered her passion and integrity.

Ethan vowed to carry her legacy forward. In his statement he expressed heartbreak but also defiance, urging critics to recognize the real-life impact of their words and supporting those in crisis to seek help early. He continues to operate the sanctuary and care for her beloved foxes including Finnegan, whose silent companionship he honored in a tearful Instagram post following her death.

Her passing has reignited urgent discussions around the intersection of mental health, cyberbullying, and influencer culture. ABC News highlighted how her death underscores that online harassment often trivialized as mere trolling can carry irrevocable consequences. As a creator with a massive public platform, Mikayla’s life and loss illustrate that even hope-driven voices can be shattered by hidden cruelty.

Social media responses poured in. Collaborators, fans, and fellow animal advocates expressed shock and grief. Many reflected with guilt and sorrow, asking whether more could have been done. Discussions around digital empathy, anti-cyberbullying laws, and responsibility toward public figures gained renewed attention .

The broader phenomenon of cruelty online once dismissed as “keyboard warrior” culture is now being reframed as a societal crisis with tangible human consequences. Mikayla’s story is a stark reminder: online content creators, like anyone, carry vulnerabilities that rapid virality can endanger. Her husband’s plea that words are not without weight signals a call to action to rethink how we engage in digital spaces.

For enthusiasts of wildlife rescue and mental health advocates alike, this tragedy has become a catalyst. SaveAFox will continue its mission with renewed purpose, and mental health groups are amplifying messages of early intervention, empathy, and vigilance in the comment sections of social media and beyond.

Mikayla was a woman whose passion gave voice to the voiceless. Her story stands as both inspiration and warning. Behind every uplifting video is a human being wrestling with unseen trials. As the rescue network evolves in her honor, her legacy may yet be measured not just in foxes saved— but in lives spared by kindness, compassion, and care in online spaces.