Mother Found Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity in Son’s Drowning | Crime House 24/7

Good morning, everyone.

We have multiple breaking true crime cases this morning that you need to know about and

we're starting with the biggest one.

An Amish mother who drowned her four-year-old son in an Ohio Lake last summer, telling

officers she was giving him to God has been found not guilty by reason of insanity.

Her husband also drowned that night as their three teenage children witnessed the events.

This is Crime House 24-7, your non-stop source for the biggest crime cases developing right

now.

Make sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

I'm Vanessa Richardson and we have quite a lineup for you today.

Here's what you need to know.

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On March 3rd, a Tuscarawas County judge found 40-year-old Ruth Miller not guilty by

reason of insanity in the drowning death of her four-year-old son, Vincent at Atwood Lake

in Eastern Ohio.

Judge Michael Ernest delivered the verdict following a bench trial.

Miller had waved her right to a jury last month, and his ruling rested on five pieces

of evidence, two police reports, and three independent psychiatric evaluations.

All three evaluations reached the same conclusion that Miller suffered from a form of mental

disease that prevented her from understanding the wrongfulness of her conduct.

Ruth Miller and her husband, 45-year-old Marcus Miller, were members of the Old Order Amish

Church in Holmes County, Ohio.

They had four children together, twin 18-year-old sons, a 15-year-old daughter, and Vincent,

the youngest, at four years old.

The family traveled to Atwood Lake over the weekend of August 23rd, 2025, for what was

supposed to be a family outing.

According to Tuscarawas County Sheriff, Orvis Campbell, the deadly chain of events began

around 1 a.m. when Ruth and Marcus went to the dock and jumped into the water.

Officials described that the couple was experiencing a spiritual delusion.

They believed God was speaking to them, and that they were carrying out tasks to prove

their faith.

Some of those tasks involved swimming, others, the sheriff said, were bizarre, including

the belief that God told them to allow themselves to be swallowed by a fish.

Marcus described as an average swimmer, attempted to swim out to a sand bar, and drowned.

Then around 830 that morning, Ruth returned to the dock with Vincent.

She placed him on a golf cart, drove him into the water, and threw him in.

The four-year-old drowned.

But Ruth Miller was not done.

Around 1030 a.m., she loaded her three other children onto a golf cart, and drove it into

the lake.

That incident triggered a 9-1-1 call, which brought Rangers and deputies to the scene.

The three teenagers were able to climb out of the water on their own.

They were physically unharmed, but as Sheriff Campbell noted, deeply traumatized.

On police body camera footage captured later that morning, Miller told officers what she

had done.

She said she threw him in the lake and gave him to God.

She added that people were going to tell her she was crazy, but that God was real.

When officers asked where her husband was, she said he was at the bottom of the lake inside

a fish.

A park ranger responded that no fish in atwood lake was large enough to swallow a person.

It was only after first responders began treating Ruth, and she started making those concerning

statements that authorities realized Vincent and Marcus were missing.

Give teams recovered Vincent's body near the dock around 6 p.m. on August 23rd.

Marcus' body was found in the same area the following morning, around 8.30 a.m. on August

24th.

In September 2025, Ruth Miller was indicted on seven counts, including aggravated murder,

with prior calculation and design, murder, felonious assault, child endangering, and three counts

of domestic violence.

The child endangering charge related to her daughter, while the domestic violence charges

involved all three teenagers.

She was booked into the Tuscarawa County jail after being discharged from a secure mental

health facility where she had been held since August 23rd.

Her bond was denied in late September, with judge Ernest ruling she posed a substantial

risk to the community.

The old order Amish Church released a statement after the incident, saying the events did not

reflect their teachings or beliefs, and were instead the result of mental illness.

The church said the extended family had been walking with the millers through their challenges,

and that Ruth had received professional help in the past.

Her defense attorney, Ian Friedman, said he was convinced that Miller would never have

harmed her children, were it not for severe mental illness.

It is important to note that a not guilty by reason of insanity verdict does not mean

Ruth Miller is being set free.

She will remain in the Tuscarawa County jail until a placement hearing scheduled for

March 13th, where both sides will argue over where she should be treated.

If the judge orders Miller committed to a state psychiatric hospital, she could be held

there indefinitely.

Under Ohio law, a person found not guilty by reason of insanity can remain in a secure

treatment facility for as long as they're considered a danger to themselves or others.

Potentially as long as the maximum prison sentence they could have received, if convicted.

Doctors at the facility will regularly evaluate her mental condition and report back to the court.

Any request for release would require a judge's approval after medical experts determine

she no longer poses a threat.

Prosecutors are pushing for a locked down state psychiatric facility.

The defense is hoping she may eventually be able to return to her family after treatment.

While that case now moves toward treatment and evaluation in Ohio, out in Utah, a missing

person's case took a devastating turn this week when a woman's body was discovered inside

her missing husband's camper.

Asara Toga springs Utah woman, who had been reported missing alongside her husband last

week, has been found dead inside a camper trailer at a storage facility.

And her husband, now named a person of interest, has fled the state.

On March 3rd, the Saratoga Springs Police Department confirmed that the body of 43-year-old

Heuselem Vitola was discovered inside an RV at a storage lot in Draper.

The camper was registered to her husband, 57-year-old Alvaro Jose Urbina Rojas.

The case is now being investigated as a homicide.

Rojas and Rojas, both originally from Merida, Venezuela, had been married for 19 years and

have two children together, a daughter, Ariane, and a younger son.

The family came to the United States about 10 years ago and applied for asylum.

They'd been living in Saratoga Springs, a community about 35 miles south of Salt Lake City.

Police said the couple had recently been discussing divorce.

On the morning of February 26th, Rojas was supposed to drive Vitola to work.

Vit was the last time family members saw either of them.

The couple did not return home that night.

Family members later learned that Vitola never arrived at her job.

They contacted the Saratoga Springs Police Department to report both of them missing, telling

officers that neither was suicidal, had serious medical conditions, or had any issues with

law enforcement.

Investigators immediately attempted to ping their cell phones.

Rojas' phone had been turned off.

Rojas' phone last pinged in the draper area about 20 miles north of Saratoga Springs.

Officers searched the area but were unable to locate him or his vehicle.

However, they then learned that Rojas had a camping trailer at a storage facility in

draper.

On February 28th, detectives went to check the trailer, but found it locked and could

not see anything through the windows.

It was not until March 2nd that investigators were able to obtain a search warrant for

the camper.

When they served it, they found the body of an adult woman believed to be Vitola inside.

Authorities have not said how long Vitola may have been inside the trailer before her

body was discovered.

And Saratoga Springs Police Chief Andrew Burton said the medical examiner is still conducting

tests to narrow down the cause of death between two or three possibilities.

In the meantime, Rojas had a significant head start.

Burton told reporters that traffic camera footage showed the family's missing grey 2005 Toyota

Sequoia, with Utah license plates traveling through Cedar City, St. George and Las Vegas

on February 26th, the same day the couple disappeared.

Credit cards associated with the family were used in Southern California that night.

The vehicle was spotted on camera again in Southern California as recently as March 2nd.

One noted that investigators could not confirm who was driving the vehicle from the footage

alone.

Multiple federal agencies, including the FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and

the U.S. Border Patrol, are assisting in the search.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Saratoga Springs Police Department.

Their daughter Ariani posted a public tribute to her mother on Facebook, writing that she

would carry her in her heart for the rest of her life and promising to care for her younger

brother.

And from a case where a husband has fled to one that grabbed headlines across the country,

an Arkansas father awaiting trial for murder has just won a primary for county sheriff.

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In Loneauk County, Arkansas, 37-year-old Aaron Spencer won the Republican primary for

county sheriff on March 3, while awaiting trial on a second degree murder charge.

Spencer defeated incumbent sheriff John Staley and a third candidate David Buffard with

approximately 54% of the vote.

Staley, whose department arrested Spencer in 2024 received roughly 27%, Buffard received

about 20%.

More than 10,000 votes were cast.

Staley conceded posting a statement on Facebook congratulating Spencer and saying he respected

the voters decision.

Spencer is charged with second degree murder in the October 2024 fatal shooting of 67-year-old

Michael Fosler.

At the time of the shooting, Fosler was out on a $50,000 bond and facing 43 criminal

counts related to Spencer's then 13-year-old daughter, including internet stalking of a

child, sexual assault, sexual indecency with a child, and possession of child sexual abuse

material.

A no-contact order had been issued as a condition of Fosler's release prohibiting any contact

with the minor.

According to court records, Spencer's wife called 911 at 1 12 a.m. on October 8, 2024,

to report their daughter missing from her bed.

Spencer left the home to search the nearby roads.

He said he located his daughter inside Fosler's vehicle on a highway in Loneauk County and

that a confrontation followed.

Spencer has admitted to shooting Fosler, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

Spencer has pleaded not guilty to the murder charge.

His defense attorneys maintain he acted within the law to protect his daughter from

a predator.

The case has drawn national attention and prompted online petitions calling for the charges

against him to be dropped.

Spencer, an army veteran who served in the 82nd Airborne Division with a deployment to

Iraq, is also a farmer and general contractor from the Cabot area of Loneauk County.

He announced his campaign for sheriff last fall, describing himself as a father who acted

to protect his daughter when the system failed.

He said his experience motivated him to run for office.

Spencer will face Democrat Brian Mitchell Sr. and independent candidate Larry Benke in

the November general election.

Spencer's murder trial was originally scheduled for January 20, 20, but was postponed after

the Arkansas Supreme Court removed the original judge from the case.

A retired judge has taken over and a pretrial hearing to set a new trial date is expected

in the coming weeks.

If Spencer is convicted, he would not be able to serve as sheriff.

From this unusual sheriff's race to another legal battle now unfolding in court, singer Justin

Timberlake is trying to block the release of police body camera footage from his drunken

driving arrest.

Justin Timberlake has filed a lawsuit against the village of SAG Harbor, New York and its

police department in an effort to block the release of body camera footage from his

2024 arrest for driving while intoxicated.

Timberlake's attorneys filed the suit March 2 in Suffolk County Supreme Court after learning

the village plan to release the footage with certain redactions in response to public records

requests from multiple media outlets, including the Associated Press and NBC News.

In the filing, his legal team argued the video would devastate Timberlake's privacy and

cause severe and irreparable harm to his reputation.

They described the footage as showing Timberlake in an acutely vulnerable state during field

sobriety testing, his arrest, and several hours of confinement.

The total footage runs approximately eight hours.

This stems from the night of June 18, 2024, when SAG Harbor police stopped Timberlake

now 45 after he reportedly ran a stop sign and veered out of his lane while driving his

BMW in the village.

Officers said he smelled of alcohol and performed poorly on field sobriety tests.

Timberlake told them he had had one martini.

He was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated.

In September 2024, he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of driving while impaired, a non-criminal

traffic violation.

He was sentenced to a $500 fine, 25 hours of community service, and a 90-day license suspension.

He was also required to make a public safety statement about the dangers of impaired

driving.

SAG Harbor Mayor Thomas Gardella said the village was trying to be as transparent as possible,

noting that New York's public records law generally requires the release of police body

camera footage.

As of March 3, village officials said they were holding the release while working toward

a resolution with Timberlake's lawyers.

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High listeners, it's Vanessa Richardson.

I wanted to take a brief moment to tell you about another show from Crime House that I

know you'll love.

America's most infamous crimes hosted by Katie Ring.

Each week Katie takes on a notorious crime, whether unfolding now or etched into American

history, revealing not just what happened, but how it forever changed our society.

Real killers who terrorized cities, unsolved mysteries that keep detectives up at night,

and investigations that changed the way we think about justice.

Each case unfolds across multiple episodes, released every Tuesday through Thursday,

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Before you go, let me tell you what else is happening at Crime House today.

On murder, true crime stories, we are revisiting one of the most debated, unsolved disappearances

in American history.

Some cases endure because of a shocking crime scene.

Others persist because of a suspect who was never definitively proven guilty.

And then there are cases that survive decade after decade because there is no final answer

at all.

When a disappearance lacks resolution, it rarely stays contained.

Instead, it expands.

The absence of certainty creates room for interpretation.

Minor details are re-examined.

Timelines are reconstructed repeatedly.

Personal histories are scrutinized.

Entire communities of amateur investigators form around the gaps.

Other time, speculation can become as prominent as fact.

The case itself becomes less of fixed event and more a landscape of competing explanations.

Here are five missing women cases that became endless theories, not because of spectacle

alone, but because ambiguity allowed narrative to multiply.

Number one, Mora Murray, the vanishing after the crash.

On February 9, 2004, 21-year-old Mora Murray crashed her car on a rural road in Haverhill,

New Hampshire.

Witnesses observed her near the vehicle shortly after the accident.

A school bus driver stopped and spoke with her briefly.

She appeared shaken but declined assistance.

Within a matter of minutes, she disappeared.

When law enforcement arrived, the car was locked.

Personal belongings remained inside.

There were no confirmed signs of a struggle.

There was no definitive evidence of abduction.

That narrow window between crash and disappearance created a vacuum.

In the absence of direct evidence, interpretations began to fill the space.

Some observers concluded that Mora may have fled into the woods and succumbed to the elements.

Others believe she encountered someone who offered help and then harmed her.

Several theories suggest she may have intended to disappear voluntarily due to personal pressures

in her life.

Over time, the case became deeply embedded in online investigative culture.

Independent searches were conducted.

Witness statements were dissected.

Her academic record, relationships, and mental state were analyzed in public forums.

The reason the case remains theory-heavy is not because it lacks evidence entirely.

It's because what evidence exists does not point conclusively in a single direction.

The disappearance occurred in minutes in a relatively ordinary setting and left behind

just enough detail to invite ongoing reinterpretation.

2.

Madeline McCann Global attention without resolution.

In May 2007, three-year-old Madeline McCann disappeared from a holiday apartment in

Pryadaluz, Portugal, while her parents were dining nearby.

The case quickly became international news.

Media coverage was constant and public attention extended across continents.

The scale of exposure fundamentally shaped the trajectory of the investigation.

Theories emerged rapidly and circulated widely.

The case involved multiple law enforcement agencies, evolving suspect designations and

periodic announcements of new leads.

Because no definitive conclusion was reached in the early stages, public discourse became

increasingly fragmented.

Some narratives focused on stranger abduction.

Others scrutinized the actions of those closest to her.

As investigative developments surfaced over the years, they reignited discussion rather

than settled it.

When a case receives global visibility but lacks immediate resolution, it often transforms

into something larger than a criminal investigation.

It becomes a cultural touch point.

Theories harden into positions.

Public perception fluctuates with each new update.

The absence of a conclusive end allowed the story to expand rather than contract.

And that expansion has kept speculation alive for nearly two decades.

3.

Asha Degree The child seen walking away.

In February 2000, nine-year-old Asha Degree left her home in North Carolina during the

early morning hours.

Motorists later reported seeing a young girl walking along a highway in stormy weather conditions.

She was never seen again.

The unusual nature of the departure created enduring uncertainty.

There was no evidence of forced entry into the home.

There were no confirmed signs of violence at the residence.

The backpack was later discovered buried along a roadside miles away.

Because the circumstances did not fit a simple narrative, the case developed layers of interpretation.

Some theories center on the possibility that she was lured by someone she trusted.

Others focus on the idea that she may have been planning to meet someone.

Law enforcement has periodically released new evidence, which has kept the case active

in public memory.

The detail that she was reportedly seen walking alone introduced a powerful and unsettling

image that continues to influence discussion.

The sighting is specific enough to feel credible, but not detailed enough to explain what

happened next.

In the absence of resolution, the image of a child walking into darkness has become symbolic

of the unknown space where explanation should be.

4.

Jennifer Dulose, the missing mother and the evidence trail.

In May 2019, Connecticut mother of five Jennifer Dulose disappeared after dropping her children

at school.

Investigators quickly determined that significant blood loss had occurred in her garage.

Her estranged husband became the primary suspect, though her body has never been recovered.

Unlike some missing person's cases that lack physical evidence, this one contained substantial

forensic findings, surveillance footage, discarded evidence, and witness testimony suggested

an orchestrated attempt to conceal a crime.

Yet, without a body, the case remained suspended between certainty and incompleteness.

Public discussion is often focused not only on the evidence, but on motive and psychological

dynamics within the marriage.

Custody disputes and personal conflict added layers to the narrative.

The legal proceedings, including arrests of additional individuals accused of assisting

in cleanup efforts, kept the case in headlines.

The absence of Jennifer's remains prevented a traditional conclusion.

Even after criminal charges and convictions related to the case, the missing body continued

to fuel speculation about the final sequence of events.

In cases like this, theory does not replace evidence.

It grows around what cannot be definitively proven.

Number five, My Trees Richardson, release and disappearance.

In September 2009, 24-year-old My Trees Richardson was arrested in Malibu, California for minor charges

related to unpaid restaurant bills.

Despite concerns raised about her mental state, she was released from jail late at night without

her phone, money, or car.

She vanished shortly afterward.

Nearly a year later, her remains were discovered in a remote canyon area.

The delay in recovery and questions surrounding her release created intense scrutiny.

Investigators faced criticism regarding how the case was handled.

The timeline between her release and death became a focal point of public debate.

The circumstances surrounding her disappearance generated persistent discussion about institutional

responsibility and mist warning signs.

Because there was no clear eyewitness account of her final movements, multiple interpretations

emerged regarding how she reached the location where her remains were found.

When a disappearance intersects with procedural decisions made by authorities, theory often

shifts from what happened to what should have happened.

The ambiguity surrounding those decisions sustained speculation long after official conclusions

were announced.

Why some cases never stop generating theories.

Some persons cases that resolve tend to narrow over time.

Evidence accumulates, suspects are identified.

Legal proceedings establish a narrative framework.

Even if uncertainty remains, there is an end point.

Cases without definitive resolution behave differently.

They expand.

Each unanswered question becomes a branching path.

Each ambiguous detail invites reinterpretation.

The human mind seeks coherence.

When a story lacks a final chapter, people attempt to write one.

Over time, those attempts can multiply rather than converge.

Digital communities have intensified this phenomenon.

Online archives preserve interviews, police reports and media coverage indefinitely.

Independent investigators revisit timelines decades later with fresh eyes.

Advances in forensic science revive hope and reopen debate.

The absence of closure sustains engagement.

However, the persistence of theory also reflects something deeper.

Disappearances disrupt the expectation that events follow logical sequence.

They resist containment.

Without confirmation of death, survival remains possible.

Without a named perpetrator, accountability remains incomplete.

Theories endure because the alternative, permanent uncertainty, is difficult to accept.

Some disappearances become part of the historical record.

Others remain active in collective imagination.

For the full examination of one such case, including the evidence, the unanswered questions,

and the theories that continue to circulate, listen to today's episode of murder, true

crime stories.

Because when resolution never arrives, the story does not fade.

It evolves.

You've been listening to Crime House 24-7, bringing you breaking crime news.

I'm Vanessa Richardson.

We'll be back tomorrow morning with more developing stories.

Stay safe, and thanks for listening.

Thanks for listening to today's episode.

Not sure what to listen to next?

Check out America's most infamous crimes hosted by Katie Ring.

Some serial killers to unsolved mysteries and game-changing investigations.

Each week, Katie takes on a notorious criminal case in American history.

Listen to and follow America's most infamous crimes now, wherever you listen to podcasts.