A 4-year-old Amish boy drowned in an Ohio lake after his mother threw him into the water, saying she was 'giving him to God', authorities have said. The boy's father also died after swimming out into the lake in what is believed to have been a test of faith.
The incident occurred at Atwood Lake in Tuscarawas County, part of Ohio's Amish Country. The mother, 40, told authorities she had 'given her son to God' by throwing him into the lake. The father, 45-year-old Marcus Miller, is thought to have swum out far into the water on his own as a test of faith.
Divers recovered the body of 4-year-old Vincent Miller on Saturday, and his father's body on Sunday. The deaths were discovered after the mother drove a golf cart carrying three of her other children off a dock into the lake. The three children, a 15-year-old girl and twin 18-year-old boys, managed to escape safely.
When authorities responded to the crash, the mother made 'concerning statements about conversing with God', according to the Tuscarawas County Sheriff's Office. The father had been spotted by witnesses at a different boat dock around 1 a.m.
The mother is expected to be charged with aggravated murder on Tuesday. She is currently hospitalised for mental health concerns, while her other children are with relatives. The family and their church released a statement through the sheriff's office, saying the events 'do not reflect our teachings or beliefs but are instead a result of a mental illness'.
Autopsies are pending to determine the cause and manner of death for both the boy and his father.
