Judge orders Ruth Miller committed to behavioral health hospital after verdict of insanity in son’s drowning death in Atwood Lake

NEW PHILADELPHIA, Ohio – Ruth Miller, the Amish mother recently found not guilty by reason of insanity in the drowning death of her 4-year-old son in Atwood Lake last summer, has been committed to Stark County Behavioral Health Hospital.

Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Court Judge Michael Ernst made the decision Friday after a placement hearing that included testimony from several medical experts. Miller will be committed to Heartland Behavioral Health Care in Massillon.

“It’s clear from everyone who testified here that you suffer from mental illness,” Ernst told Miller. He added that this decision not only provides her with the necessary medical and psychological help, but also ensures the safety of the community.

Ernst described Heartland as “a secure hospital where people can’t just come and go as they please. It’s a facility where you will be confined.”

Just exactly when Miller will begin treatment at the facility is unknown. Ernst said there is currently a waiting list for admission, but added that the court will try to expedite her case. Miller will be held in the Tuscarawas County Jail until a bed can be made available for her at Hartland.

Going forward, Ernst said there will be a review hearing in about six months, then every two years.

“As to what will happen in the review hearing, we’ll have to wait and see. I don’t know until we have some kind of response from those at the hospital,” he explained.

Miller had previously pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in connection with the death of her son, Vinson Miller. Officials described the killing as something caused by Miller’s “psychological delusions.”

Forensic psychologist Dr. Susan Hatters Friedman, who has examined Miller several times since her arrest, said Miller was experiencing symptoms of psychosis at the time of the Atwood Lake incident. These symptoms included difficulty sleeping and alertness.

“Ruth Miller truly believed at the time that she was receiving specific messages from God about the tasks she must perform to prove her faith,” Heather’s Friedman testified.

Experts testified that Miller sought help from a family doctor about the August 2025 incident. She was prescribed antidepressants, which were insufficient for her specific symptoms and ultimately exacerbated her mental health challenges.

“The administration of these early drugs really sets the stage for something like this. And we see it routinely in clinical practice,” explained Dr. Daniel Buffington, a clinical medicine and toxicology specialist.

You can listen to Friday’s placement in the player below.

On Saturday morning, August 23, 2025, Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Deputies and Atwood Park Rangers responded to a report that a woman and her three children had crashed a golf cart into Atwood Lake west of the Atwood Marina.

Rescuers pulled the woman, identified as Miller, from the water. Officials said she made harsh comments about talking to God.

“There was an immediate statement that she gave her son to the Lord,” Tuscarawas County Sheriff Orris Campbell explained during a news conference after the incident.

The Miller family is part of the Holmes County Amish community and visited Atwood Lake during the weekend.

Miller’s 15-year-old daughter and twin 18-year-old sons were able to pull themselves out of the water — physically unharmed, but traumatized, Campbell said. Prosecutors said the child molestation charge against Miller is related to her daughter, while the domestic violence charges also include the teenage girl and two sons.

After speaking with the family, crews began searching for 4-year-old Vinson and 45-year-old Marcus. Early signs indicate possible foul play.

Investigators determined that on Saturday around 1:15 p.m., Ruth and Marcus Miller went to a pond in the lake and jumped into the water because God was speaking to them.

“Things to prove to God that they were capable, that their faith was complete, and they didn’t do a good job at it. Some of them were weird, some of them were just swim practice,” Campbell explained. “The strangest thing was that God told him to allow himself to be swallowed by the fish, as strange as that sounds.”

Detectives later learned from Ruth Miller that when her husband went back to the RV where they were camping, he expressed frustration with himself that he failed at the job “because he didn’t have enough confidence.”

Marcus Miller said he would go back to the lake and swim to the river bar, which is a relatively long distance from the dock. He was seen in Dhaka by a witness at 6:30 am

Around 8 a.m., police said Ruth Miller was seen by witnesses loading her son Vinson into a golf cart.

Divers found Vinson Miller’s body on the lakeshore around 6 p.m. Marcus Miller’s body was recovered from the water on Sunday, August 24 at around 8:30 am.

Detectives do not believe Marcus Miller was involved in the drowning of his son or Ruth Miller’s actions with the three older children. Police said he may have drowned accidentally while trying to swim to prove his faith.

While Ruth Miller was hospitalized for mental health concerns, the older children were released to other family members. Campbell added that the couple’s family told detectives that they both struggle with mental health issues, especially the mother.

“But there was never any discussion of hurting anyone,” Campbell said. “They had some, you know, religious beliefs. What we do know is this: She was clearly in a mental crisis, there’s no doubt about that. You talk to any witness or any first responder, she was in a mental crisis, and it just manifests itself in what we call spiritual delusions.”

Campbell said the family had intervened after receiving a “concerned call” on Thursday (August 21), although there were no signs the couple had harmed anyone.

“This was a husband who was very devoted to his wife. I think they were also devoted to the Bible and that manifested itself in a wrong way,” Campbell said. “I don’t think there’s any more common sense than that. I really don’t.”

The family, along with their church, later released a statement through the sheriff’s office:

“The church and family would like to thank the law enforcement and rescue personnel for all they have done during this tragic week.

“The families involved are members of the Old Order Amish Church. As a Christian faith church, we believe that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9), and this weekend’s events do not reflect our teachings or beliefs but are the result of mental illness.

“The ministry and extended family have stood by them throughout their challenges and they have also received professional help in the past.

“At this time, our thoughts and prayers are with the families directly affected. We stand with them in their grief and ask that their privacy, as well as that of the wider community, be respected during this difficult time. We kindly ask the public and the media to respect this by allowing space for healing.”

“The Extended Family encourages anyone facing mental health challenges to seek professional help, as recent events do not reflect the loving and caring family they have always known.”

After the incident, the Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office released body camera footage showing a conversation between Ruth Miller and deputies on the morning of August 23.

“I gave it to God,” she told delegates.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I threw him in the lake, and I gave him to God, and people will tell me I’m crazy, but he’s real, and he loves you,” she explained.

Deputies then tried to determine where Marcus Miller was.

“He went for a walk this morning,” she replied.

“And you haven’t seen him since?”

“He never came back,” she replied. “We went to the boat and his clothes were there, and God told me he was in the lake and a fish swallowed him.”

On September 5, Miller was indicted by a Tuscarawas County grand jury on the following charges:

• 1 count of aggravated murder of her four-year-old son with premeditation and design
• 1 count of murder in relation to her son
• 1 count of felonious assault related to her son
• 1 child at risk, including her 15-year-old daughter
• 3 counts of domestic violence involving her 15-year-old daughter and two adult sons who are 18.

Miller pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity at her September 8 plea.

After hearing four hours of evidence on September 29, Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Court Judge Michael Ernst Ernst ordered that Miller be held in the Tuscarawas County Jail for the duration of the case.

Ernst said he concluded that the prosecution had presented “clear and convincing evidence” that Miller “poses a substantial risk of serious physical harm to another person or to the community,” adding that “there are no conditions of release that would reasonably ensure that person’s safety in the community.”

In November, Ernst ruled that Miller was competent to stand trial, refusing to overturn her sanity evaluation by the defense. The trial was scheduled to begin in March.

At a final trial hearing last month, Ernst accepted a request by Miller’s attorney to waive his right to a jury trial and go to a bench trial.

Friedman said the plea was based on findings presented in court in which three separate psychiatrists concluded that Miller had no appreciation for the wrongfulness of her actions and was effectively not guilty by reason of insanity.

“It was unanimous; there was no expert who had a different opinion,” Friedman told the court.

Scott said the state provided about 42 pages of police reports and attachments that would show Miller “actually committed the acts that he was accused of.” However, he accepted the unanimous findings of the three mental status evaluations.

“In light of the findings, as all three believe, for various reasons, that Ms. Miller did not appreciate the wrongfulness of her conduct and was suffering from severe mental illness or defect at the time of the offense, we have decided to remand this case to you for a nonjury trial so that you can examine these issues and make an appropriate finding,” Scott said.

On March 3, Ernst announced his decision that Miller was not guilty by reason of insanity.

“This is the only conclusion that can be reached based on the evidence that has been presented to me in this case,” he said.

Three doctors’ opinions confirmed that Miller had severe mental illness, but no severe mental retardation. And as a result of severe mental illness, he does not understand the wrongness of his actions.

After the decision, the lawyers of both sides spoke to the journalists.

Tuscarawas County Assistant Prosecutor Fred Scott said: “There was absolutely no question that Ms. Miller committed, committed the acts that she was accused of. The question was her state of mind at the time of the crime.” “When you have a unanimous verdict that the defendant did not know the wrongness of her behavior, was in a state of mind, the verdict writes itself.”

Defense attorney Ian Friedman was asked if his client had essentially gotten away with murder.

“I would say it doesn’t completely get away with murder. Ruth Miller wouldn’t have been involved in this case, if it wasn’t for the mental illness that you heard about in court, period. And that’s a tough sentence. End of story. She’s saddened by the fact that she was involved in this situation on August 23, 2025. And if she needed to, she would be standing here. Right now,” he said.