Ruth Miller Charged in Drowning Death of 4-Year-Old Son Faces Pretrial Hearing

Ruth Miller, a 40-year-old Millersburg resident, was the subject of a pretrial hearing in Tuscarawas County on Feb. 24, 2026 after prosecutors charged her with aggravated murder and related counts in the Aug. 23, 2025 drowning death of her 4-year-old son at Atwood Lake.

The hearing in Tuscarawas addressed the set of criminal counts filed in connection with the Aug. 23, 2025 incident at Atwood Lake, the event that led to the death of the child. Miller faces an aggravated murder charge among other related counts, all tied to the drowning that occurred last August.

The Aug. 23, 2025 drowning at Atwood Lake left the child dead and prompted the criminal case that reached the courthouse nearly six months later. The victim, described in court filings as a 4-year-old boy, drowned at the lake, and county prosecutors subsequently brought the aggravated murder and related charges against Miller of Millersburg in Holmes County.

Miller's pretrial hearing on Feb. 24, 2026 was the most recent procedural step in a case that remains pending in Tuscarawas. The charges against Miller carry the aggravated murder designation, and court records show the matter is now part of the Tuscarawas docket following the hearing held yesterday.

For residents of Holmes County and families who use Atwood Lake, the case centers on the Aug. 23, 2025 drowning and the criminal counts filed against a Millersburg mother. The aggravated murder charge and related counts remain before the Tuscarawas court after the Feb. 24, 2026 pretrial appearance; further proceedings and filings will be reflected in Tuscarawas County court records as the case moves forward.