An Ohio mother has been found not guilty by reason of insanity in the deaths of her husband and young son at Atwood Lake. The judge ruled that Ruth Miller could not understand the wrongfulness of her actions due to mental health issues. She faces commitment to a secure facility for treatment.
Ruth Miller, an adherent of the Old Order Amish Church from the Millersburg area in Holmes County, Ohio, was accused of causing the deaths of her husband, Marcus Miller, and their 4-year-old son, Vincen Miller, at Atwood Lake in Tuscarawas County in August 2025. The family was on a weekend trip that began as a typical vacation, according to Tuscarawas County Sheriff Orvis Campbell.
Miller allegedly believed she was hearing voices from God instructing her and her family to prove their faith through tasks, many involving swimming in the lake. She told police that God commanded her to throw Vincen into the water, and she watched him go under and resurface before believing he had been given to God. Detective Adam Fisher recounted at a September 2025 bond hearing: "God spoke to her and told her to throw Vincen into the lake and she did. She described watching Vincen go under the water and pop back up."
Earlier, Miller and Marcus entered the water nervously, floating on their backs as part of the tests. Marcus sank due to what Miller saw as a lack of faith and failed to pull her from the water, leading her to climb out using a boat ladder. After a break at their camper, she commanded Marcus to return to the lake, where he drowned. Vincen was then sent in as punishment for their failures, per police accounts.
Witnesses reported seeing Miller intentionally crash a golf cart carrying her three other children into the water near the dock. The sheriff noted the tasks were bizarre, including requests to be swallowed by a fish and to swim to a nearby sandbar.
Arrested on August 23, 2025, Miller was charged with two counts of aggravated murder, domestic violence, and endangering children. She underwent three mental health evaluations while held without bail. Waiving her right to a jury trial on February 24, 2026, the case proceeded to Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Judge Michael J. Ernest, who delivered the verdict on March 3, 2026: "Ruth Miller is not guilty by reason of insanity. I think that's the only conclusion that can be reached."
Under Ohio law, Miller will remain confined in a secure mental health facility for treatment, with the duration matching potential prison time if convicted. A hearing on March 13, 2026, will determine her placement. Prosecutors seek long-term confinement, while her defense attorney, Ian Friedman, said her family wants her home soon. Campbell emphasized: "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."