Hearing set March 13 for Millersburg woman found not guilty

A hearing has been scheduled for March 13 to determine the best form of treatment for an Amish woman from Millersburg who has been found not guilty by reason of insanity in the drowning death of her 4-year-old son.

At a bench trial March 3, Common Pleas Judge Michael Ernest ruled that Ruth Miller, 40, was suffering from a severe mental disease when she drowned her son Vincen Aug. 23 at Atwood Lake.

Before making the ruling, Judge Ernest reviewed three mental health evaluations of Miller conducted by three different experts. All of them concluded she was suffering from a severe mental disease at the time of the incident.

In addition, he noted that there were several witnesses whose statements to law enforcement supported his conclusion.

On Aug. 23, deputies and Atwood Lake rangers responded to an incident where Miller and three of her children crashed a golf cart into the lake next to Atwood Marina West.

According to a press release from the Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office, initial reports said Miller, following supposed directives from God, threw her 4-year-old son, Vincen, into the lake. Her husband, Marcus, 45, was also reported missing at the time.

The bodies of both Vincen and Marcus were later located at the bottom of the lake.

Marcus Miller had reportedly tried to swim out to a sandbar in the lake as a test of his faith in God but drowned in the effort.

Ruth Miller had been charged with seven charges, including aggravated murder, murder, felonious assault, endangering children and three counts of domestic violence.

Following the trial, defense attorney Ian Friedman said he felt a great sense of relief from the judge’s verdict.

“Today, it was correctly decided,” he told the news media.

Friedman added that Miller did not get away with murder because of the judge’s ruling. “Ruth Miller would not have been involved in this case had it not been for the mental disease that you heard about in the courtroom, period.

“She is mortified by the fact that she was involved in that situation Aug. 23, 2025, and had she been receiving the care that was necessary at that time, none of us would be standing here right now.”

He said Miller is beginning to understand how she was in that situation and what brought her to that place. “This is a process.”

Miller is responding well to the treatment she has received so far. “I expect that that will continue, and our goal is to get her home and back with her family as soon as possible,” Friedman said.

Assistant Prosecutor Fred Scott said he expected the judge’s verdict. “In this case, there was no question that Mrs. Miller committed the acts with which she was charged. She threw her child in the lake and walked away. She drove a golf cart with her other children into the lake and walked away.”

Scott agreed with Friedman that Miller has not gotten away with murder. “She’s been held liable for what she did. She will be under court jurisdiction for the rest of her life. The next thing is that the court has to determine the least restrictive setting for her, consistent with public safety, and we intend to argue that that would be a lock-down mental health facility.”