Disturbing bodycam footage released in the case of an Ohio mother accused of killing her child shows her telling deputies she “gave him to God” after allegedly throwing her 4‑year‑old son into Atwood Lake on Aug. 23, authorities said.
Tuscarawas County deputies responded to a 911 call at the Atwood Lake campgrounds about a golf cart that had been driven into the water with a woman and three children inside. The mother, identified as 40‑year‑old Ruth Miller of Millersburg, was escorted by her two adult sons and, in the footage obtained by Court TV, told officers she was not “crazy” and that she had put her son “with God.” She also told deputies the end of the world was near and urged them to “prepare your hearts.”
Bodycam audio includes Miller saying, “I threw him in the lake and I gave him to God,” and later telling officers that her husband, Marcus J. Miller, had gone on a walk earlier that morning and would “never come back” because God told her a “fish swallowed” him. As more deputies arrived, Miller urged them to bring in their best divers because she said her husband could be found inside the fish at the bottom of the lake, authorities said. A paramedic is seen in the footage praying with Miller.
Divers recovered the bodies of the 4‑year‑old boy and Marcus Miller submerged at the bottom of the lake later that day, Tuscarawas County Sheriff Orvis Campbell said at a news conference. Sheriff Campbell told reporters investigators believe the couple were experiencing what he described as a “spiritual delusion” and that they had been participating in what they called a test of faith that involved swimming out into the lake.
According to investigators, the Millers went to the water together and the husband at one point attempted the swim. He returned to the campground and later went back to the lake alone. A witness told police Marcus Miller was seen alive by the water at about 6:30 a.m. Prosecutors say Ruth Miller, about two hours after her husband went back to the water, placed the 4‑year‑old in a golf cart, drove recklessly around the campground and then forced the child into the water. Immediately afterward, she drove the golf cart into the lake with three other children, including a 15‑year‑old daughter and 18‑year‑old twin sons. The three survived and are now in the care of other family members, authorities said.
Miller was initially taken to a secure hospital following the incident and was later transferred to the Tuscarawas County Jail. She has been charged in county court with two counts of aggravated murder, two counts of domestic violence and one count of child endangerment, according to court records. At her arraignment on Sept. 8, 2025, Miller pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.
Her attorney, Ian N. Friedman, told People magazine he was "confident" that the defense can show Miller suffered from a severe mental ailment that led to her conduct and said the case would likely center on whether she should be found not guilty by reason of insanity. A bond hearing is scheduled for Sept. 25.
Sheriff Campbell said investigators are continuing to process the scene and to review the circumstances that led to the deaths. The footage and court filings have been made public as the case moves through the Tuscarawas County Court of Common Pleas, where prosecutors will determine next steps in pursuing the criminal charges and where the defense will present its mental‑health claims.