Trigger Warning: This article contains references to the alleged physical abuse that some readers may find distressing.
An Amish mother who drowned her four-year-old in an Ohio lake and harmed her other children pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in court. The incident happened on August 23, 2025, when Ruth Miller and her family were at Atwood Lake campgrounds.
A witness called 911 after seeing the woman drive a golf cart with three children, aged 18, 15, and four, into the water. During the incident, the father of the children, Marcus J. Miller, also drowned while trying to swim to the shore.
While two children, aged 18 and 15, managed to walk out of the water, the bodies of the four-year-old and her husband were later found by dive teams. The two surviving children were placed in other family members’ custody.
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According to the bodycam footage, Miller told the police she gave her child to God, and the “end is close.” She admitted to the officers, “I threw him in the lake, and I gave him to God. He’s sweet, and I love him. But I gave him to God. People are going to tell me I am crazy. But he is real, and he loves you. He really does love you.”
When the officers asked about her husband, she told them that a “fish swallowed” him, and he will “never come back.” Later she told other officers that they could find her husband inside the fish at the bottom of the lake.
The husband was last seen alive at 6:30 a.m. by a witness. According to Ruth Miller, he went into the water again as he “didn’t have enough faith.”
She also knelt to pray while a paramedic checked on her. Her behavior was reported to be driven by religious beliefs and called a “spiritual delusion.” Miller and her husband believed jumping in water was a test of their faith, and they had to swim as far as they could.
Miller was taken to a hospital and then transferred to Tuscarawas County Jail. She was charged with two counts of aggravated murder, two counts of domestic violence, and one count of child endangerment.
Ian N. Friedman, her attorney, said, “I expect that this case will center around whether Ruth should be found not guilty by reason of insanity. We are confident that she will be.” He blamed severe mental illness behind her actions.
She opted for a bench trial, leaving the verdict in Judge Michael Ernest’s hands. The bodycam video, reports from forensic psychologists and psychiatrists, and witness statements helped the judge reach the decision. The mental health professionals concluded she had severe mental disease at the time of the incident. She was not found guilty but remained in custody, and her bond hearing was set for March 13.
She was sentenced to Heartland Behavioral Health, a facility in Massillon, Ohio. After her stay at the facility, the first status check will be conducted in six months and then every two years.
Disclaimer: The Inquisitr could not independently confirm the facts of this incident and is reporting based on the information available within the public video record.
