TUSCARAWAS COUNTY, Ohio. An Amish mother from Holmes County has been found not guilty by reason of insanity in the death of her 4-year-old son. The ruling came Tuesday in Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Court.
Ruth Miller, 40, faced charges including aggravated murder, murder, felonious assault, child endangering and multiple counts of domestic violence. The charges stemmed from events on August 23, 2025, at Atwood Lake.
According to authorities, Miller and her husband, Marcus Miller, 45, had taken their family to the lake that weekend. The couple believed God was speaking to them and directing them to complete tasks to prove their faith.
Around 1 a.m., the couple entered the water at the dock. Marcus later returned to the lake alone and drowned. His body was recovered the following morning.
At about 8:30 a.m., Ruth Miller placed her son Vincen on a golf cart and drove to the dock. She drowned the boy there. On police body camera footage, she told officers, “I threw him in the lake and I gave him to God.” She added that God had told her the child would be swallowed by fish.
Later, around 10:30 a.m., Miller drove the same golf cart into the lake with her three teenage children aboard. The group included a 15-year-old daughter and 18-year-old twin sons. The teens escaped the water on their own and were not injured.
The golf cart incident prompted a response from park rangers and deputies. That response led to the discovery of the deaths. Vincen’s body was recovered near the dock around 6 p.m. that day.
Miller waived her right to a jury trial. A bench trial lasting under an hour took place March 3, 2026, before Judge Michael Ernest. The judge reviewed two police reports and three separate mental health evaluations.
All three evaluations concluded that Miller suffered from a mental disease or defect at the time of the events. The condition prevented her from knowing the wrongfulness of her conduct. Judge Ernest stated in court, “They all concluded that you suffered from some form of mental disease that prevented you from knowing the wrongfulness of your conduct.”
The ruling means Miller will not face prison. Instead, she will be committed to a psychiatric facility. A placement hearing is scheduled for March 13, 2026, at 10 a.m. Prosecutors have requested a locked-down state facility. The defense has expressed hope that she could eventually return to her family after treatment.
Under Ohio law, Miller must be reevaluated every three years.
This case has drawn attention across Ohio due to its tragic circumstances and the role of mental health in the legal outcome. No further details about the family’s background or ongoing treatment plans were released in court.
