An Ohio community has been rocked after investigators say an Amish woman deliberately drowned her four-year-old son in a religiously motivated act, claiming she was giving him over to God.
Amish woman having a “spiritual delusion” drowns son
Authorities in Tuscarawas County allege that the 40-year-old mother, whose name has not been disclosed, killed her young son, Vincen Miller, in Atwood Lake over the weekend before attempting to force her three other children into the water as part of a disturbing ritual.
Officials say the tragedy unfolded in stages beginning early Saturday morning. Deputies reported that the woman and her husband, Marcus Miller, 45, believed they were commanded by God to complete spiritual challenges to prove their devotion.
Around 1 a.m., both leapt from a dock at the campground in what investigators described as a misguided “test of faith.”
When they returned to their campsite afterward, the couple allegedly believed they had failed.
Marcus then told his wife he needed to return to the water. According to deputies, he swam far into the lake and never resurfaced. His body was located the following morning.
The situation escalated later that same morning. Around 8:30 a.m., investigators say the mother carried Vincen to the dock and pushed him into the lake.
The boy drowned. When questioned by police, she reportedly admitted she was trying “to give him to God.”
Amish woman allegedly tried to drown her other children
Investigators say she also attempted to push her remaining three children—a 15-year-old daughter and 18-year-old twin sons—into the water at different points during the weekend.
Later that morning, around 10:30 a.m., she allegedly drove a golf cart packed with the teens straight down the dock.
According to police, the cart plunged over a stone wall and flipped into the lake, nearly submerging.
The teenagers managed to escape without injury. Witnesses later told deputies they had chased after the vehicle shouting at the woman to stop.
“People were chasing her through the grass, yelling at her to hit the brakes because they thought it was careening out of control,” Tuscarawas County Sheriff Orvis Campbell said during a Monday briefing. “We later found out that was not the case.”
First responders reported the woman made strange and incoherent remarks while being treated.
She allegedly asked paramedics to “pray for her” instead of offering medical aid and rambled about biblical imagery, including being “swallowed by a fish.”
Rescue crews began searching for Vincen that afternoon. His body was pulled from the water around 6 p.m.
Marcus was located in the same area the following morning around 8:30 a.m. Officials say autopsies will determine their exact causes of death.
Deputies investigating the Miller family’s campsite noted there were no drugs or weapons present, though they did find an open Bible.
Relatives have since taken custody of the surviving children, who authorities say are devastated by the ordeal.
Authorities transported the Amish woman to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation. She is expected to face an aggravated murder charge.
The Old Order Amish Church, along with the extended Miller family, issued a statement to WOIO distancing themselves from the couple’s actions.
“As a church of Christian faith, we believe that we are saved by grace, through faith in Christ, and the events of this past weekend do not reflect our teachings or beliefs but are instead a result of a mental illness,” the statement read.
The message went on to say that the family had been “walking with them through their challenges” and that professional intervention had already been sought prior to this weekend.
The group thanked law enforcement and rescue workers for their quick response and said they are focusing now on the grieving family members.
Twin sentenced after switching places with sister who mowed down children
The horrifying incident has drawn additional attention due to a separate Amish-related case earlier this year in Minnesota involving identical twin sisters Sarah Beth Petersen and Samantha Jo Petersen.
Authorities in Fillmore County alleged that Samantha, under the influence of methamphetamine, drove into a horse-drawn buggy carrying Amish children in September 2023.
The crash killed 11-year-old Irma Miller and her seven-year-old sister Wilma.
Police say Sarah attempted to cover for her sister by falsely claiming she had been behind the wheel.
She eventually pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal vehicular operation in March as part of a plea bargain.
Fourteen other felony counts were dropped in exchange for her guilty plea, and she was sentenced to 90 days in jail with four years of supervised probation.
Court filings revealed disturbing evidence, including Samantha’s online searches such as, “What happens if you get in an accident with an Amish buggy and kill two people.”
Dashcam footage also captured both sisters changing clothing at the scene in an attempt to mislead investigators.
