DISTURBING details have emerged about the “spiritual delusion” that led a mother to allegedly drown her 4-year-old son on Saturday.
What began as an Amish family getaway turned into an unthinkable nightmare ending with a boy and his father dead in a lake.
Ruth Miller was booked into Tuscarawas County Jail on Tuesday after she allegedly drowned her 4-year-old son[/caption]
When rescuers arrived at the scene, Ruth told them to just pray for her[/caption]
Ruth, 40, and Marcus Miller and their four children headed out on August 23 for a weekend of faith and fun in Tuscarawas in Ohio, which is about 90 miles south of Cleveland.
The parents went to the dock at Atwood Lake and hurled themselves in the water in the dead of night on Saturday, according to Tuscarawas County Sheriff Orvis Campbell.
The couple appeared to be experiencing a spiritual delusion and believed God was speaking to them and telling them to prove their worth by doing “tasks,” Campbell said.
Marcus, 45, then returned to the lake alone because he felt like he didn’t do his tasks well enough, Campbell said.
He was never seen alive again.
At 8:30 am, Ruth allegedly took 4-year-old Vincen Miller into a golf cart, drove him to the dock, and drowned him.
When police arrived, she told them she had “thrown the child into the water,” Campbell said.
She bizarrely claimed that she drowned him to “give him to God,” according to body camera footage obtained by CBS affiliate WOIO.
“There was a pretty immediate statement that she had given her son to the Lord,” Campbell said.
When cops arrived at the scene, she resisted arrest and rambled about being swallowed by a giant fish.
Cops dragged her from the scene and took her to a mental health clinic, all while she begged first responders to pray with her.
AFTER THE DROWNING
Two hours after she allegedly drowned Vincen, Ruth took her three other children, two 18-year-old twin boys and their 15-year-old sister, into the golf cart.
She sped with them directly into a stone wall on the lakeshore. The cart was submerged halfway in water, but was still visible.
The three teens stood on the cart before rushing to safety as bystanders pulled them out of the water and called the police.
Timeline of the case
Ruth Miller is accused of drowning her 4-year-old son, Vincen Miller. Below is a timeline of the Amish family’s lake horror:
Thursday, 21 August 2025
- The Millers’ family tries to intervene, Tuscarawas police later said.
Friday, August 22
- Evening – The Miller family arrives at Atwood Lake.
Saturday, August 23
- 1:15 am – Ruth and Marcus jump into the lake during a faith-driven ritual.
- 6:30 am – Marcus is spotted at the dock alive.
- 8:00 am – Witnesses see Ruth load 4-year-old Vincen into a golf cart and drive toward the water.
- 10:30 am – Ruth drives the golf cart with her three teenagers onboard into the lake.
- 6:00 pm – Divers find Vincen’s body at the bottom of Atwood Lake. Ruth is taken to a mental health facility.
Sunday, August 24
- 8:30 AM – Marcus’s body washes ashore.
September 2 – Ruth is booked into Tuscarawas County Jail.
September 8 – Ruth is set to be arraigned for a total of seven counts at 3:30 pm.
Source: TCPD
When the cops arrived, police found a rambling Ruth and three confused teenagers.
“Whatever their mother and father says is the way it is,” Campbell said about the kids.
“They don’t question anything. So when they were told to jump in the lake, they jump in the lake.”
AMISH COMMUNITY RESPONDS
Amish communities are known to be rural, close-knit groups of people who live simple and religious lives without utilizing modern technology.
Following the Miller family’s tragedy, the Amish church shared a statement distancing itself from the religious family and their beliefs.
Ruth speaking to cops who arrived at Atwood Lake on August 23[/caption]
“These deaths do not reflect our teachings or beliefs but are instead a result of a mental illness,” the church said in a statement.
“The ministry and extended family had been walking with them through their challenges, and they had also received professional help in the past.”
Ruth now faces seven total charges, including murder and child endangerment. Her arraignment is set for September 8.
Prosecutors warned she could spend the rest of her life behind bars.
Her attorney, Ian N. Friedman, said he expects her to plead not guilty by reason of insanity, according to the New York Post.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call or text the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 800 422 4453 or live chat at https://www.childhelphotline.org/.
If a child or other person is in immediate danger, contact 911 immediately.
Ruth’s husband Marcus was found dead a day after he was last seen[/caption]
