Mom accused of drowning 4-year-old son in lake 'for God' amid 'spiritual delusions' as husband also dies
Warning: this contains details of death and possible suicide which some readers may find distressing
Tragedy struck in Ohio after a mother allegedly drowned her four-year-old son and her husband also died.
The Amish family had been camping at Atwood Lake, before the deaths of Marcus J. Miller, 45, and Vincent Miller, four.
A 40-year-old woman has been hospitalized for mental health treatment and she is expected to be formally charged with aggravated murder later today.
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The religious family also includes a 15-year-old daughter and 18-year-old twin sons, who are all still alive and unharmed.
Tuscarawa's County Sheriff Orvis Campbell said 'spiritual delusion' were a factor in both tragic deaths, and autopsies are due to be carried out to confirm the cause of death.
The incident took place over the weekend, and sourced close to the family have said: “The recent events do not reflect the loving and caring family they were always known to be."
Police say that at around 1am on Saturday, the husband and wife believed God was speaking to them and went and jumped off the dock into the water.
The couple allegedly believed they were proving their faith to God by carrying out tasks.
The husband and wife reportedly successfully made it back to the campground, at which point Marcus Miller apparently told his wife he wanted to go back to the lake, and a witness saw him there at 6.30am.
At around 8.30am, another eyewitness reported seeing the mother placing the four-year-old boy into a golf cart, before she began to drive recklessly and erratically.
She then confessed to deputies that she returned to the dock and drowned her youngest son, Vincent, before forcing her remaining teenage children into the lake at separate times.
Later, at around 10.30am, she then allegedly made the older children get onto the golf cart which she then drove into the lake.
Fortunately, the teenage girl and her twin brothers both managed to leave the water by themselves and were unharmed.
Rangers and deputies were called in response to the golf cart crash.
First responders said the mother was making 'concerning statements', and told deputies that she placed her youngest son in the water to 'give him to God' before she attempted to run away and hide in a bush.
It was only then that the horrifying discovery of the bodies of the man and child were found.
Little Vincent was found at around 6pm while Marcus wasn't found until 8.30am on the Sunday after deputies brought in specialist sonar equipment to find the father, some 50 yards from the edge of the dock.
Divers were needed to recover the father.
The surviving children are being cared for by other family members.
Relatives of the family and their church released a statement saying: “The events of this past weekend do not reflect our teachings or beliefs but are instead a result of a mental illness.
“The ministry and extended family had been walking with them through their challenges, and they had also received professional help in the past,” they added.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 to reach a 24-hour crisis center or you can webchat at 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.
Jen Thomas