Amish mum 'drove 3 kids into Ohio lake' before husband and son, 4, found dead

A woman is accused of driving three children into a lake as police investigate the death of another son and the siblings' father.

The unnamed woman is said to be suffering from “spiritual delusion”, stated police, and allegedly told a witness she had “given her son to the Lord”. Authorities in Ohio are investigating the horrific incident where 45-year-old Marcus J. Miller and his son Vincen, four, from Millersburg, have been identified as having died, confirmed Tuscarawas County coroner’s office.

Officers had rushed to the scene of a golf cart crash at Atwood Lake last Saturday, August 23, which involved the woman and three of her children who are Amish and the family had gone to the lake for the weekend. Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office said that police became concerned by the mental state of the woman who is claimed to have made statements “about conversing with God”.

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The Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the three children, twin 18-year-old sons and a daughter, aged 15, were able to get out of the water and were not injured. Authorities said that the crash into the lake seemed “intentional”.

A statement from the Sheriff's Office read: "On Saturday, August 23, 2025 at approximately 10:39 hours Deputies and Atwood Rangers responded to an incident where a woman and three of her children crashed a golf cart into Atwood Lake next to Atwood Marina West.

"After helping the woman out of the water, the woman made concerning statements about conversing with God. Her 15-year-old daughter and twin 18-year-old sons got out of the water on their own and were physically safe.

"It was evident that the crash into the water was intentional by the mother. This family is Amish and reside in Homes County and were reportedly just visiting the lake for the weekend."

And after speaking in more detail with the woman and her children, police became concerned for the father and the four-year-old boy. Following an extensive search by the edge of a dock, police that same day found the body of Vincen while the father was also discovered dead the following day.

A statement from the Sheriff's Office last Sunday read: "Late yesterday, after the search concluded and early this morning before the divers began their work, two separate pieces of information were learned that led us to strongly believe that the father would be located off of the same boat dock that the young son had been found near.

"From those two pieces of information, it was determined that we would concentrate the sonar boats and divers around that boat dock located in an area referred to as the 'causeway'.

"Not long after the boats were in the water a piece of sonar equipment located a promising image approximately 50 yards from the edge of the dock. Divers went into that water and located a white male believe to be the missing father at 0830 hours. The Coroner’s Office was summoned to the scene and the body turned over to their custody."

No motives have been given following the death other than the woman appeared to have been suffering from “spiritual delusion”. She is currently receiving mental health treatment. An autopsy is underway while no charges or pleas have been released by the Sheriff’s Office.