Amish Mom Arrested for Killing Son, 4, After Throwing Him in Lake

An Ohio mother has been charged with aggravated murder after allegedly driving a golf cart carrying three of her children into a lake, then confessing to police that she threw her 4-year-old son into the water as part of what she called a “religious mission.”

Ruth R. Miller, 40, was charged on Wednesday, August 27, with two counts of aggravated murder, according to court records from New Philadelphia Municipal Court. The charges stem from the death of her young son, Vincen, whose body was recovered from Atwood Lake on Saturday, August 23.

At a press conference, Tuscarawas County Sheriff Orvis Campbell revealed chilling details of Miller’s confession. She allegedly told investigators that she threw Vincen into the lake as “an offering to God.”

Miller is also facing two counts of domestic violence and one count of child endangerment related to driving a golf cart into the lake with three of her older children on board. Miraculously, all three survived the terrifying incident, according to the Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office.

Adding to the tragedy, Miller’s husband, 45-year-old Marcus J. Miller, had drowned in the same lake just hours earlier. Investigators believe Marcus was attempting to swim to a distant sandbar in a separate act of faith when he became overwhelmed and disappeared beneath the water.

Miller was scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday, but court records show the hearing was unexpectedly canceled “until further notice.” It’s unclear whether she has entered a plea or secured legal representation.

Authorities are continuing their investigation as the community reels from the shocking events surrounding the Miller family and the heartbreaking loss of 4-year-old Vincen.