TUSCARAWAS COUNTY — An Amish father and his 4-year-old son drowned in an Ohio lake over the weekend after the mother experienced by law enforcement called a “spiritual delusion,”.
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News Center 7 previously reported that the Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office was called to Atwood Lake next to the Atwood Marina West on Saturday morning after a woman drove a golf cart into the lake with her children on it.
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The woman’s 15-year-old daughter and twin 18-year-old sons were able to get out of the water on their own, while rescuers pulled the mother from the water.
The bodies of a four-year-old boy and a 45-year-old man were found nearby.
On Monday, the sheriff’s office released new information about the drownings, CBS affiliate WOIO-19 reported.
The victims were identified as 45-year-old Marcus J. Miller and four-year-old Vincen Miller.
Tuscarawas County Sheriff Orvis Campbell described the situation as a “spiritual delusion,” WOIO-19 reported.
The 40-year-old mother was hospitalized for mental health treatment and is expected to be formally charged with aggravated murder on Tuesday.
The situation happened over the course of Saturday and Sunday while the family camped at Atwood Lake, WOIO-19 reported.
Around 1 a.m. Saturday, the husband and wife, who believed God was speaking to them, went to the dock and jumped in the water, according to Campbell.
Campbell said they were carrying out tasks to try and prove their faith to God.
After returning to the campgrounds, Miller reportedly told his wife he was going back to the lake, WOIO-19 reported.
Miller was spotted by a witness along the dock at 6:30 a.m., according to Campbell. Crews later recovered his body nearby.
Around 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Campbell told WOIO-19 that the mother placed her 4-year-old son on the golf cart and began to drive recklessly before she returned to the dock and drowned her son, which she later admitted to deputies.
The mother is also accused of forcing her remaining children into the lake at different times.
Finally, around 10:30 a.m. Saturday, the mother drove a golf cart carrying her three teenage children into the lake.
The 15-year-old and two 18-year-olds were not injured, WOIO-19 reported.
The golf cart crash was what prompted a response from rangers and deputies and ultimately uncovered the deaths, according to Campbell.
News Center 7 previously reported that when the mother was pulled from the water, deputies said she was making “concerning statements about conversing with God.”
As she was questioned by deputies, the mother spoke of placing her son in the water, “to give him to God.”
The mother also attempted to run from deputies and hide in a bush, WOIO-19 reported.
Crews searched multiple locations on Saturday after learning that Vicen and Miller were missing.
Vincen’s body was located around 6 p.m. Saturday, and Miller’s body was found in the same area around 8:30 a.m. Sunday, WOIO-19 reported.
Autopsies will be conducted by the Tuscarawas County coroner to determine how they died.
The Miller family, who are Amish and from Holmes County, were visiting the lake for the weekend, WOIO-19 reported.
The teenagers are now being cared for by other family members.
The Miller family’s relatives and church released the following statement.
“The church and family want to thank the law enforcement and rescue personnel for all that was done during this tragic weekend.
The family involved are members of the Old Order Amish Church. As a church of Christian faith, we believe that we are saved by grace, through faith in Christ [Ephesians 2:8-9), and the events of this past weekend do not reflect our teachings or beliefs but are instead a result of a mental illness.
The ministry and extended family had been walking with them through their challenges, and they had also received professional help in the past.
At this time, our thoughts and prayers are with the family directly affected. We stand beside them in their grief and ask that their privacy, as well as that of the broader community, be respected during this difficult time. We kindly ask that the public and media honor this by allowing space for healing.
The extended family encourages anyone facing mental health challenges to seek professional help, as the recent events do not reflect the loving and caring family they were always known to be."
— Relatives and Church of the Miller Family
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