NEW PHILADELPHIA, Ohio — Ruth R. Miller, age 40, of Holmes County, Ohio, whose husband and 4-year-old son died at Atwood Lake during the weekend of August 23-24, was booked into the Tuscarawas County Jail on Monday following her release from a secure mental hospital, according to multiple reports.
Authorities previously called the events surrounding the deaths a “spiritual delusion” of tests from God after Ruth Miller allegedly threw her young son into Atwood Lake and crashed a golf cart with her three older children into the water. Her husband reportedly swam into the lake and drowned. The older children, all teenagers, survived.
Court records indicate Miller is scheduled to appear in New Philadelphia Municipal Court for a bond and preliminary hearing on Friday, September 5, at 9 a.m.
On September 2, Judge Nanette VonAllman ordered Miller to have no contact with “protected persons.” Following the incident, she was held in a secure mental health facility from August 23 to September 1.
The Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office previously announced that Miller faces multiple charges: two counts of aggravated murder, two counts of domestic violence, and one count of endangering children.
According to the Tuscarawas County Prosecutor’s Office, the aggravated murder charges relate to her son and include findings of “prior calculation and design” and that the victim was under 13 years old.
If convicted, Miller could face life in prison. Aggravated murder carries a minimum sentence of life with parole eligibility after 20 years, and a maximum of life without parole. The other charges are first-degree misdemeanors, each carrying up to 180 days in jail.
The case remains under investigation.
