NEED TO KNOW
- An Amish woman allegedly confessed to killing her young son for religious reasons, per police
- The boy has been identified as 4-year-old Vincen Miller
- The woman’s husband, Marcus J. Miller, was also found deceased
An Ohio woman has allegedly confessed to throwing her 4-year-old into a lake in what she said was a bid to prove her family’s “worthiness” to God, according to authorities.
The woman, whose name has not been released, allegedly drove a golf cart into Atwood Lake in Ohio over the weekend, with three of her children aboard, the Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office previously said in a statement.
Her other children, a 15-year-old and a pair of 18-year-old twins, managed to get out of the water and were physically safe.
Investigators looking into the Saturday, Aug. 23 crash learned her 4-year-old son and husband were missing, raising concerns about possible foul play.
The 4-year-old, since identified as Vincen Miller, was found deceased off the edge of a nearby dock later that day, per the sheriff’s office.
Her husband, identified as Marcus J. Miller, was found deceased in the vicinity the following day.
At a press conference on Monday, Tuscarawas County Sheriff Orvis Campbell said the woman allegedly told police that she threw her boy into the water to “give to God.”
“She has indicated every time she has been spoken to that she put the 4-year-old in the water to give to God,” Campbell said at the the press conference. She also allegedly told police she and Marcus jumped into the water because “God was speaking to them” and they had to prove their “worthiness” to God.
“She made the other kids go through some ritualistic type stuff,” Campbell said, adding that she then decided to drive them into the lake.
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The cause and manner of the victims’ deaths have not been announced yet.
The woman is being treated for mental health concerns, police said. Authorities may charge her with aggravated murder in connection with the death of her son, NBC reported, but no charges have been announced as of publishing time.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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