Fans mourn Save-A-Fox owner after death by suicide
Faribault's Save-A-Fox founder dies of suicide
Family and friends are remembering a young woman known for her efforts to rescue animals, especially foxes. Mikayla Raines ran Save-a-Fox in Faribault, but she recently committed suicide.
(FOX 9) - Family and fans are remembering a young Minnesota woman known for her efforts to rescue animals, especially foxes. Mikayla Raines ran Save-A-Fox Rescue in Faribault. But in a heartbreaking video posted on social media, her husband shared that Raines tragically took her own life.
Raines faced harassment
What we know:
Raines had 2.5 million followers on YouTube and was widely known for her love of animals. She devoted herself to rescuing foxes and other animals, and her videos touched millions.
"This is the most hurtful and difficult time of my life, so please bear with me," said her husband, Ethan Frankamp, in a video post.
Frankamp said Raines lived with autism and struggled with mental health issues — and that online bullying made things worse.
"For a few years, a group of people have been throwing dirt on Mikayla’s name and the rescue," Frankamp said. "Most of these were people she knew and some of them were other animal sanctuaries."
He said the online harassment had intensified in recent weeks.
"I wish you understood that words do have real and terrible consequences," he said. "If you only have negative garbage to say, just shut up."
Raines remembered by fans, family
Dig deeper:
Frankamp’s post drew more than 26,000 comments from supporters.
"My heart is destroyed. Goodnight Mikayla, you were far, far too good for this evil world. Love from Scotland," one person wrote.
Another shared, "My dad loved watching her videos while he was dying of cancer. Beautiful girl inside and out. People are disgusting. What a sad day."
The backstory:
Raines was also a devoted mother. Her young daughter is now left to grow up without her.
"I wish you had to see tiny heartbroken Freya try to understand why she can never see her mommy again," Frankamp said. "I wish you understood what you were doing before you did it, before it had to go this far."
In 2023, FOX 9 reported on Save-A-Fox Rescue’s commitment to taking in 500 animals from a fur farm. Frankamp now plans to continue that mission — raising money and caring for animals the way Raines did.
"I’m confident we can bring more light to this world, and we’ll be doing it for Mikayla," he said.
What you can do:
Frankamp is continuing to collect donations and plans to rescue the remaining foxes at the fur farm — carrying on Mikayla’s legacy.
If you or someone you know needs help or is considering suicide, you can call or text 988 for help any time.