Ruth Miller, the Amish mother accused of killing her 4-year-old son and trying to drown her three older children in an Ohio lake, has been booked into the Tuscarawas County Jail following her release from a psychiatric hospital.
Miller, 40, faces two counts of aggravated murder, two counts of domestic violence, and one count of child endangerment after the August 23rd incident at Atwood Lake. Investigators say the mother of four admitted to purposely drowning her youngest child, Vincen, before attempting to drive a golf cart carrying her three teenagers — a 15-year-old daughter and 18-year-old twin sons — into the same lake.
According to Tuscarawas County Sheriff Orvis Campbell, Miller told deputies at the scene that God had commanded her “to allow herself to be swallowed by a fish to prove her worthiness.” Miller also allegedly claimed to be able to walk on water before falling into the lake.
The bizarre and tragic series of events began around dawn on what was also Miller’s birthday. She reportedly brought Vincen to the water’s edge alone, telling investigators she had “given him to God” before leaving him to drown. Hours later, she returned with her teenage children, ordering them to perform “tasks to show their worthiness” before piling them into a golf cart and driving it at full speed into a stone wall and then into the lake.
The three teenagers managed to scramble to safety, climbing out of the water and flagging down bystanders. Witnesses recalled watching Miller refuse help and insist that she remain in the lake, weeping and rambling about her conversations with God.
Deputies eventually pulled her from the water after she attempted to hide in nearby bushes. By then, the search for Vincen and his father, who had been reported missing earlier, was already underway. Their bodies were recovered nearly 24 hours later from the lake’s depths.
Miller’s attorney, Ian N. Friedman, said in a statement that his client’s mental state will be central to her defense. “It is immediately apparent that Ruth, at the time of the tragic incident, suffered from a severe mental ailment that unequivocally prevented her from appreciating the wrongfulness of her conduct.” Friedman added that he expects the case will hinge on whether Miller is found not guilty by reason of insanity.
Miller’s is scheduled to appear in court Friday, September 5, though prosecutors say a grand jury indictment could push that date back. Her surviving children are in the care of relatives.
