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Mother intentionally drove golf cart with children into Ohio lake, sheriff says
Investigators are unearthing more information after a mother appeared to intentionally drive a golf cart with herself and three other children into Lake Atwood over the weekend. The mother's 4-year-old son and husband were both found dead inside the lake after she and her husband allegedly failed several tests of faith, the sheriff said.
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Investigators are piecing together the ominous statements made by an Amish woman after the bodies of her 4-year-old child and her husband were found in an Ohio lake over the weekend.
Golf cart driven into Lake Atwood
The backstory:
At 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, August 23, 911 received reports of a golf cart that had gone into Lake Atwood.
Witnesses told police that there were three children and a woman in the cart.
When officers arrived, they found the golf cart fully submerged, but all passengers were able to get back to shore.
When bystanders and witnesses came to help the family, statements that concerned some present began to emerge, according to Tuscarawas County Sheriff Orvis Campbell.
What they're saying:
One person attempted to help the mother up but she said she didn’t need help getting up, instead, she asked the person to pray for her.
"That was the first statement that suggested this was more than an accident at that lake," Campbell said during a news conference on Monday.
Still image from video showing scenes of Lake Atwood. (Credit: WJW / WEWS )
Testing their faith
Dig deeper:
When being interviewed by investigators, the mother made more concerning statements about testing her faith.
Prior to allegedly purposefully driving the golf cart into the lake, the mother said she had tested her faith by attempting to walk on water.
"She walked off the end of the dock and sunk immediately, of course, and was immediately upset with herself and blamed herself for not having enough faith," Campbell said.
Mother allegedly threw child into lake
Investigators were able to gather that the mother had allegedly thrown her 4-year-old son into the lake to show her commitment to her faith.
"She began to express more that she had thrown the child in the water to give that child to God," Campbell said.
Prior to the golf cart incident, the mother and her three other children were seen huddled together and praying.
"Heads touching, praying very intently next to the water by the kayak launch. So much so that it actually scared some witnesses," Campbell said.
Bodies of child, father found
Divers were able to locate the body of 4-year-old Vincent Miller at about 6 p.m. on August 23, according to Dr. Jeff Cameron.
The body of Marcus J. Miller, 45, was located on August 24, at 8:30 a.m. Both were recovered from the boat dock at Lake Atwood.
Campbell said their initial investigation led them to believe the father died by suicide.
Their official causes of death are still pending as the investigation is ongoing, Cameron added.
"She believed she could walk on water, she believed she and her husband had to pass these tests to show their faith. And when they didn’t, then Vincent became the price to pay for that," Campbell speculated.
What's next:
The mother, who has yet to be identified pending formal charges, is being held in a mental health facility.
Campbell said she will likely be charged as early as Tuesday.
The other children, a 15-year-old and 18-year-old twins, who survived the golf cart incident, were released to family members, Campbell said.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from a news conference on Monday, August 25, 2025, held by the Tuscarawas Sheriff Department.