An Amish mother is accused of intentionally driving a golf cart carrying three of her children into Atwood Lake on Saturday, prompting a search that later led to the discovery of her 4-year-old son’s body and the continued disappearance of her husband, authorities said.
Tuscarawas County Sheriff Orvis L. Campbell said deputies and Atwood Rangers were called to the lake near Atwood Marina West around 10:39 a.m. Saturday. Responders pulled the woman from the water after she allegedly drove the golf cart into the lake with her 15-year-old daughter and twin 18-year-old sons aboard. All three children escaped safely.
Campbell said the woman, who lives with her family in Holmes County, made “concerning statements about conversing with God” after the crash, and investigators quickly determined the act was intentional.
While questioning the woman, her children, and witnesses, deputies learned that her 4-year-old son and husband were also missing. A witness unrelated to the family reported seeing the woman and her husband together at the lake’s boat dock around 1:15 a.m. Saturday.
At 6:03 p.m., divers recovered the 4-year-old’s body from the bottom of the lake near the same dock. The husband remains missing, and the search was suspended after dark Saturday. Crews are expected to resume Sunday morning.
The woman was hospitalized for mental health concerns, and the surviving children were released to relatives.
The investigation is being led by the Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District and other agencies. Authorities say more updates will be provided as the search continues.
