Amish mother found not guilty by reason of insanity for killing 4-year-old son to ‘Give him to God’

TUSCARAWAS COUNTY, Ohio (WOIO/Gray News) — The Amish mother who drowned her 4-year-old son last summer was found not guilty by reason of insanity Tuesday morning.

Tuscarawas County Sheriff Orvis Campbell said Ruth Miller and her husband, Marcus Miller, brought their family from Holmes County to Atwood Lake the weekend of Aug. 23, 2025.

Campbell said around 1 a.m. on Aug. 23, 2025, the husband and wife, who believed God was speaking to them, went to the dock and jumped in the water.

The sheriff said they were carrying out tasks to try to prove their faith in God.

Marcus Miller was described as an “average” swimmer, but he drowned in the lake. Ruth Miller went and got her 4-year-old son, Vincen, and threw him in the lake. He drowned.

Ruth Miller also drove a golf cart into the lake with her three other children — a 15-year-old daughter and 18-year-old twin sons — on board.

The teenagers got out of the water on their own and were not injured.

Campbell said it was the golf cart crash that prompted a response by rangers and deputies and ultimately uncovered the deaths.

When first responders began to treat Ruth Miller, she was making concerning statements.

At that time, officials learned her husband and young son were missing.

As deputies questioned her, Campbell said Ruth Miller spoke about throwing her son in the water “to give him to God.”

Both bodies were eventually recovered from the lake.

Miller was indicted on a total of seven counts:

• One count of aggravated murder for her 4-year-old son
• One count of murder for her 4-year-old son
• One count of felonious assault for her 4-year-old son
• One count of child endangering for her 15-year-old daughter
• Three counts of domestic violence for the 15-year-old daughter and twin 18-year-old sons

Last month, Ruth Miller waived her right to a jury trial. This week, she was found not guilty by reason of insanity.

Miller will have a placement hearing on March 13. The prosecution is asking that she be placed in a locked-down state facility. The defense is hoping she may be able to return to her family at some point after treatment.

By law, Miller will need to be reevaluated every three years.

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