Typically, at Law Enforcement Today, we write stories that are not personal in nature. We are removed from the stories and write them from the standpoint of an outside observer. However, in this case, we are making an exception and are happy to do so.
For those who have been long-time readers of LET, you probably recognize the name Mitch McKinley. Mitch is a long-time writer for our page who started at about the same time as me. While we are separated by distance, we have become good friends, pen pals if you wish.
Many of those who write for LET are fathers and mothers, and Mitch is no exception. For me, I have four children–three daughters and one son, two of whom are with my current wife. I also have five grandchildren and one on the way. As a father who loves my children and grandchildren dearly, it is unimaginable to me what I would do if I lost one of them.
Sadly, Mitch is now experiencing a parent’s worst nightmare, and that nightmare has affected his Law Enforcement Today family tremendously.
Skyleigh McKinley was born on March 17, 1998, on St. Patrick’s Day, to Mitch and his wife Tonya, who have been married for 28 years. Skyleigh has three siblings: her brothers Brady, 22, and Hudson, 11, and her younger sister Ashleigh, 20.
Skyleigh left her earthly life on April 16, 2024, at only 26 years old.
When Skyleigh was born, she was eight weeks early and weighed only three pounds, 14 ounces, and was delivered by emergency C-section. The doctor who delivered her could only tell Mitch and Tonya that he would deliver a baby and made no promises beyond whether she would be healthy or even be able to survive.
At the time, Mitch was serving our country in the U.S. Army, stationed in Korea, while Tonya was back home in Texas. Tonya began having contractions, and doctors were able to stop the contractions. Just weeks later, it was determined that Skyleigh was in fetal distress. Mitch made it home on March 16, and Tonya was admitted to the hospital one day later.
Skyleigh spent 14 days in the NICU while doctors waited for her lungs to develop. When she went home with her parents, she was perfectly healthy. One thing Mitch and Tonya realized right away–Skyleigh was a gift from God. Mitch and Tonya are God-fearing Christians who put everything in God’s hands, realizing that God had a plan for Skyleigh.
At only two years old, Mitch and Tonya were with Skyleigh at a bookstore just off base at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Mitch was in one aisle, Tonya in another. They briefly lost sight of “Sky,” as they called her, and went to look for her. After a brief frantic search, they found Sky on her knees, hands folded and praying. When they asked her what she was doing, Sky “put her finger to her lips, shushing us,” Mitch said. “She pointed to the top of the wall and said, ‘I’m talking to Him.’”
She pointed to a mural on the wall with a picture of Jesus surrounded by children. Mitch said they realized that this was a reminder of God's calling on Sky’s life.
Mitch told me that his daughter “gave her heart for others” and was a true servant. By only the age of six, she was fluent in two languages, English and Spanish. Later on, when she turned 16, she went on a mission trip to Madrid, Spain, to share the Gospel.
While in high school, Sky spent her summers in Munich, Germany, again sharing God’s word through the Gospel and working with Middle Eastern refugee women. Sky introduced them to the Gospel of Jesus “through storytelling and relational evangelism,” Mitch said. She told those women how God had “used her to bring numerous young women to the saving grace of Jesus.”
Sky also used her time in Germany to learn the language, and she became fluent in German.
Mitch recalled that just before Sky graduated from high school, his family relocated to Houston from Dallas. Only three months after graduating high school, Skyleigh moved back to Dallas to start her life as an adult.
Mitch said the eight years between her high school graduation and her death were spent serving others. She was always evangelizing and directing people toward a relationship with our Lord.
“And God definitely used her to do so,” Mitch told me.
In her short time on Earth, Skyleigh also had a profound impact on her family, which Mitch related.
“There are so many things about Sky, her life, and her personality that will always be a part of us.”
Mitch related an anecdote involving Skyleigh and something she said when she was a teenager.
“One of the things that was an instant hit was something she said as a teenager after she grabbed a hot pan from the stove,” Mitch recalled.
“Around that time, our youngest son was hooked on Curious George. One of his favorites was the Christmas movie. He was constantly singing the song from that movie,” Mitch said. “It was called ‘Christmas Monkey.’ But he sang the words backward…Monkey Christmas.”
“That stuck in our heads,” Mitch said.
He then related something that happened one day while Sky was in the kitchen. She grabbed the hot pan, then yelled out, “Hot…Monkey Christmas!”
“Ten years later, that phrase is still used throughout our family for a myriad of reasons.”
Mitch told me that despite her desire to evangelize and bring others to Christ, Sky “had an independent spirit,” with one of her most common phrases being, “I can do it myself.”
“And she was normally correct,” Mitch said. “She was determined and motivated. She was one of the hardest-working people we knew.”
Because Sky wanted to expand her evangelism to other places, she began self-teaching herself Arabic and Japanese in addition to the three languages she already spoke.
“She had a desire to travel to places to show people Jesus,” Mitch said.
“That is who Sky was. She wasn’t perfect, and like all of us, she fought her demons, Mitch said. “But through it all, she loved her Lord. She loved her family.”
Mitch described his daughter as “a gifted artist,” and one of the things she most enjoyed doing was creating something for him to honor his service in the Army. Following in his father’s footsteps, Mitch’s son enlisted in the Army several years ago, which instilled enormous pride in Sky.
Service to the country is in the McKinleys’ DNA. Sky’s maternal grandfather was a Marine who served two tours in Vietnam. Her paternal grandfather was a bomber pilot in the United States Navy in World War II. One of her uncles served in Iraq, and another was a medic with the 10th Mountain Division in Somalia. He was engaged with the mission detailed in the movie Blackhawk Down.
Sky also has relatives who serve their communities as police officers in Texas–two uncles and a cousin.
“All of that has been a great source of pride for Sky,” Mitch said. “She loved that she came from a long line of people who wanted nothing more than to protect and serve others.”
Mitch told me that Skyleigh was “fiercely loyal, and there was no one you wanted on your side more” than her.
“It was an honor to be her dad. While I am heartbroken that God called her home so soon, I am so proud of who she was,” Mitch told me.
“Romans 8:28 says, “All things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose,” Mitch said.
“I believe that God tells the truth. So ‘all’ means exactly that. It doesn’t mean some, or many, or most. It means all.
“God will even use Sky’s death for good to impact his kingdom.”
Skyleigh's aunt, Julie, has started a GiveSendGo page to assist with funeral expenses. Unfortunately, Skyleigh aged out on her life insurance policy only 15 days before she passed away.
Given her family’s long history of service to our country and to the State of Texas, we are hopeful that our Law Enforcement Today family of active-duty and retired police officers, as well as active military and veterans, can find it in your heart to make even a small donation.
Unlike some crowd-funding pages, GiveSendGo does not charge a platform fee, so more money is directed to the person in need.
Again, the page is https://www.givesendgo.com/GC9F6.
Please prayerfully consider helping out Mitch and his family give Skyleigh the tribute she deserves.
Mitch, Tonya, and family...on behalf of the Law Enforcement Today family, you have our deepest condolences, and we will keep all of you in our prayers.
PSALM 23
The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not [a]want.
2 He makes me to lie down in [b]green pastures;
He leads me beside the [c]still waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will [d]dwell in the house of the Lord
[e]Forever.
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