An Amish woman is accused of killing her 4-year-old son "as an offering to the Lord" by throwing him into a lake in northeast Ohio on Saturday, Aug. 23. In a separate incident, her husband also died after he jumped into the water as an act of faith, according to local law enforcement.
Tuscarawas County prosecutors charged Ruth Miller, 40, on Wednesday, Aug. 27, with two counts of aggravated murder. The second murder charge was added because the boy was under the age of 13.
“She was clearly in mental crisis, no doubt about it,” Sheriff Orvis Campbell said during a press conference on Monday, Aug. 25. “It just simply manifests itself in what we call a spiritual delusion.” He confirmed that Miller was being evaluated at a psychiatric hospital.
Miller also faces two counts of domestic violence and one count of child endangerment after driving a golf cart with her 15-year-old daughter and twin 18-year-old sons into the lake. The three teenagers survived and are staying with family members, according to police reports.
Tuscarawas County coroner Jeff Cameron identified the 4-year-old as Vincen Miller and his father as Marcus J. Miller, 45. Their cause and manner of death are pending.
