Bodycam Footage Showed Amish Mom’s Chilling Statements to Police. Days Later, She Entered Insanity Plea
Ruth Miller is facing several charges, including two counts of murder, following the deaths of her 4-year-old son and husband
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NEED TO KNOW
- Ruth Miller has entered pleas of not guilty by reason of insanity in the August deaths of her husband and 4-year-old son
- Miller allegedly drove a golf cart into a river with her three other children on board, all of whom survived
- Recently released bodycam footage shows her speaking with investigators immediately after the incident, where she allegedly reveals information that led police to her child’s body
Authorities in Ohio have released bodycam footage showing an Amish mom seemingly telling police she “gave” her 4-year-old child to God — before the child was found dead on a dock.
Ruth Miller, 40, is facing murder, assault and domestic violence charges after allegedly driving a golf cart into a river with her three other children aboard on Aug. 23, in Tuscarawas County, Ohio.
All four of them survived, but following the woman’s initial account provided to police — as revealed in the bodycam footage — authorities found the body of her husband Marcus Miller and their son Vincen Miller at a nearby dock.
In a new development this week, Ruth is now claiming she is not guilty by reason of insanity.
Bodycam footage obtained by News 5 Cleveland shows the mom of four making several statements, seemingly confessing that she “gave” her son to God and claiming her husband had been “swallowed” by a fish.
“I threw him in the lake and I gave him to God,” she allegedly tells officers in one part of the video. “He’s sweet. I love him. I gave him to God.”
At one point, she places her hand on one of the officers and says: “He is real. And he loves you. And he is coming soon,” seemingly in reference to God.
When asked about her husband, she tells police he is at the bottom of the lake.
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“It is immediately apparent that Ruth, at the time of the tragic incident, suffered from a severe mental ailment that unequivocally prevented her from appreciating the wrongfulness of her conduct,” Miller’s attorney, Ian Friedman, previously told PEOPLE in an exclusive statement.
On Monday, Sept. 8, Ruth entered pleas of not guilty by reason of insanity to all seven charges: one count of aggravated murder, one count of murder, three counts of domestic violence, one count of felonious assault and one count of endangering children, according to online court records reviewed by PEOPLE.
“As facts surrounding the tragic incident are further revealed, it becomes even clearer that Ruth was suffering from a mental health crisis that absolutely prevented her from appreciating the wrongfulness of her conduct,” Friedman told PEOPLE regarding Monday’s plea.
“She remains devastated and we will work to get her the mental health treatment that she needs,” he added.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/KVa3mts9M6U?si=e98s120zOfXgaRC7BODYCAM: Amish Mother Charged in Son’s Death
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In an online obituary posted after the deaths, Vincen is being remembered fondly by loved ones.
“He was such a sweet-natured and innocent child that lit up the room wherever he went,” read part of the obituary. “He will be dearly missed by his sister and brothers, grandparents, cousins, uncles and aunts.”
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
NJ mother said she murdered 2 daughters for ‘religious purposes’: Court docs
27-year-old Naomi Elkins is accused of drowning her 1-year-old and 3-year-old.
Darla Miles has details on the Lakewood mother accused of murdering her two daughters.
LAKEWOOD, NEW JERSEY — A New Jersey mother charged in the murder of her two young daughters says she committed the killings “for religious purposes,” according to court documents.
Naomi Elkins, 27, of Lakewood Township, was arrested on Tuesday after admitting to killing her 1-year-old and 3-year-old children.
According to a criminal complaint, Elkins told investigators that she started having “concerning thoughts” on May 24 while her husband left for a business trip to Virginia. Elkins says she dropped her kids off at daycare and spent the night praying.
Authorities say she followed a similar routine on Tuesday by taking her children to daycare. After picking them up, she told police “she believed that she needed to kill the children.”
READ MORE: New Jersey mother charged with murder in deaths of her 2 young children
When officers arrived at the home on Shenandoah Drive around 4:50 p.m., a serrated knife with a red handle was found in the sink and two bathtubs were filled with water.
Investigators say she stabbed her 1-year-old and then drowned both children. Emergency responders tried to perform life-saving efforts on both kids but were unsuccessful.
After drowning both daughters, she claims she realized she had done something wrong and called emergency responders.
During an interview with police, she allegedly said that she knew that it was illegal to kill her children and that what she did was wrong.
Neighbors, many of whom are members of the Orthodox Jewish community, say the family moved in a few months ago.
Elkins is being held in the Ocean County Jail. She has a detention hearing scheduled for Monday in Ocean County Superior Court.
Lakewood, N.J. mother says she killed her children for “religious purposes,” court documents say
By Jesse Zanger
Updated on: June 28, 2024 / 4:45 PM EDT / CBS New York
LAKEWOOD, N.J. — A woman from Lakewood, New Jersey accused of drowning her young daughters in a bathtub did so for “religious purposes,” court documents revealed.
Naomi Elkins was living in a basement apartment in a two-family home with her children, 1 and 3, and husband, who was out of town when the tragedy occurred Tuesday, according to the newly-released court records.
Elkins called Hatzolah Medical Service and told them she hurt her kids. When medics arrived, they unsuccessfully tried CPR to resuscitate the girls. One of the girls had a stab wound to her stomach.
Mother said she was having “concerning thoughts,” police say
In an interview with police, Elkins allegedly told investigators she was having “concerning thoughts” and spent the night praying, and the next day after work “once she was home, she believed that she needed to kill the children for religious purposes.”
After stabbing one of her children, she held her underwater for several minutes while her other child ran into another bathroom because she was scared, according to the documents. Elkins allegedly went into that bathroom and drowned her other daughter.
Afterwards, “she realized that she had done something wrong,” and called Hatzolah, the documents state.
A responding detective asked Elkins if she wanted to write a letter to her children, which she did. The letter references killing them and was collected as evidence, according to the documents.
In a statement Thursday, Elkins’ attorney said she has “a well-documented history of severe mental illness which has absolutely played a major role in these devastating events.”
