An Amish woman in Ohio allegedly has admitted to throwing her young son into a lake to prove religious conviction. The woman, who has not been identified, may have been dealing with some sort of mental health issues that contributed to her beliefs. Around the time of her son’s drowning, the woman displayed additional strange behavior. She reportedly drove her other children into the same lake while erratically driving a golf cart. Thankfully, those children survived. Her husband, however, also has died, likely in a similar manner to her son.
Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office deputies and rangers responded on August 23, 2025, to a woman crashing a golf cart with her three children inside at Atwood Lake, the sheriff’s office shared in a statement on social media. “After helping the woman out of the water, the woman made concerning statements about conversing with God,” the statement read. Her children, a 15-year-old girl and 18-year-old twin boys, were able to get out of the water and are safe.
“It was evident that the crash into the water was intentional by the mother,” the statement read. “Conversation with the woman and children then made responding units concerned for the safety of a four-year-old male son and the woman’s husband who could not be located.”
Authorities noted that over the course of the day as they continued to speak with the woman, her other children, and witnesses, they began to suspect foul play.
Later that day, the body of the 4-year-old boy, identified as Vincen Miller, was found off the end of a boat dock. Tuscarawas County Sheriff Orvis Campbell said during a news conference that her husband, 45-year-old Marcus J. Miller, accidentally drowned trying to reach a sandbar, NBC News reported. His body was found the next day. Campbell said a “spiritual delusion” played a part in the deaths.
“She has indicated every time she has been spoken to that she put the 4-year-old in the water to give to God,” Campbell said during the news conference, per People. She allegedly told police she and her husband jumped into the water because “God was speaking to them” and that they had to prove their “worthiness” to God.
“She believed that she and her husband had to pass these tests to show their faith, and when they didn’t, then Vincen became the price to pay for that,” Campbell said, NBC News reported. According to Campbell, the mother said she was directed to do tasks that included walking on water and swimming challenges.
The Amish woman, who was vacationing at the lake with her family, told investigators her husband was “disappointed in himself because he didn’t do very good in his task.” This made him go back to the lake and try to swim to a sandbar.
“She made the other kids go through some ritualistic type stuff,” Campbell said of the surviving children.
As of August 25, the Amish woman remained hospitalized for a mental health evaluation. Authorities intend to charge her with aggravated murder in connection with her son’s death, per NBC News. Her name will likely be released when she is formally charged.
