Ohio Amish woman facing charges in the deaths of her husband and 4-year-old son after a weekend camping trip fraught with "spiritual delusion".
45-year-old Marcus Miller and his wife took their family for a camping trip over the weekend. However, it does not seem like their intentions were for a fun filled weekend.
The two set out with their 4-year-old son, two 18-year-old twin sons, and a 15-year-old daughter to camp at Atwood Lake. By Saturday morning, two family members would be deceased.
The situation began to spiral out of control at about 1 a.m. Saturday morning, when Marcus and his wife went to the lakes dock and jumped into the water, believing they were proving their faith to god.
After spending some time in the water, Marcus got out and informed his family that he was going back to the lake. He was last seen alive near the water at 6:30 a.m. His body would not be recovered until 8:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. There is no clear report on how Marcus came to drown in the lake.
At around 8: 30 a.m. Saturday morning, with her husband gone to the lake, his wife loaded their 4-year-old son Vincen onto a golf cart and returned to the dock where she then sadly drowned Vincen.
She then spent some of the morning forcing her remaining children into the water. She then loaded the remaining children onto a golf cart and drove the cart into the lake. The older children were able to get out of the lake on their own and were unharmed.
The golf cart crashing into the lake drew a response from law enforcement, and it was soon discovered that Marcus and Vincen were missing.
Crews began to search for the two, and Vincen was discovered deceased at 6 p.m. Saturday evening. Marcus was discovered nearby the next morning.
As deputies questioned the mother, she made a number of disturbing statements, alluding to the fact that she had "given Vincen to God". At one point during the questioning, she attempted to run away and then hid in a bush.
At this time the mother is hospitalized for mental treatment but is expected to be charged in Vincen's death on Tuesday.
The older children are in the care of family.
The Amish Community that the family belonged to has released a statement saying the incident does not reflect their teachings but are the result of mental illness. I personally think that is obvious and I hope they understand, that we understand that. They went on to say community members had walked with the family through their challenges, and they had also received professional help in the past.
Our thoughts are with the surviving family members and the community as a whole as they deal with this heartbreaking tragedy.
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