Citing insanity as the reason, an Ohio judge ruled a woman not guilty of murder after she killed her four-year-old on 23 August 2025.
Ruth Miller, 40, was found not guilty of murder, felonious assault, child endangerment and domestic violence in the death of her son Vincen, 4, and the attempted killing of three teenagers. On 3 March, a Tuscarawas County judge clarified that Miller was still held responsible for Vincen's killing, per People.
Miller was found not guilty of the crimes by reason of insanity. The judge decided after reviewing three mental health evaluations and two police reports. Doctors testified that Miller suffered from a mental illness that severely impaired her reasoning.
Mom Drowns Son 'to Give Him to God'
Miller drowned Vincen in Atwood Lake on 23 August, while her entire family was on vacation. She then used a golf cart in an attempt to drive her three teenage children into the same lake and drown them, according to People.
Marcus, Miller's 45-year-old husband, was also found dead at a nearby dock. Miller told police her husband drowned in the lake in an attempt 'to prove his faith.'
'[Ruth] suffered from a severe mental ailment that unequivocally prevented her from appreciating the wrongfulness of her conduct,' Miller's lawyer told the outlet.
Both Ruth and Marcus Miller were reportedly growing uneasy before the incident, according to a family friend. Their 'doomsday fears' convinced Miller to throw Vincent into the lake 'to give him to God,' investigators said.
Attempted Killings Spurred by Mother's Delusions
Police recorded Miller's statements in the aftermath via bodycam. In the footage, she said she was trying to drown her children 'to allow herself to be swallowed by a fish to prove her worthiness,' adding that a fish had also swallowed her husband.
Miller's 15-year-old daughter and twin 18-year-old sons were able to get out of the water after the murder attempt.
Orvis Campbell, Tuscarawas County Sheriff, said Miller's incoherence was evident when they arrived at the crime scene. 'There was a pretty immediate statement made that she had given her son to the Lord,' he told WKYC News in August.
'Keep in mind, she's there with a 15-year-old daughter and two 18-year-old sons, and nobody knows what son she's talking about,' he explained. 'There's no other child there, and they tried to discern and tried to comfort her. She actually attempted to flee for a minute. She was not rational.'
Police Respond to a 'Ritualistic' Crime
'She made the other kids go through some ritualistic type stuff. Then at some point, she decided that she had to drive them into the lake, and honestly, she flipped the golf cart in the lake, but it wasn't deep enough. The kids immediately got up.'
Investigators suspected foul play after Miller confirmed that Vincen and Marcus were missing. 'I will tell you, as we all hear that, you can imagine what we're hoping is, we're hoping she's just sick and that the father's got this 4-year-old somewhere in the campground,' Campbell added.
The judge will decide how Miller is to be detained when she appears in court on 13 March.
