Court documents say the 15-year-old urged his mother to seek hospital care as his younger sister became unresponsive.
UNIONTOWN, Pa. — The account of a 15-year-old boy has become a central part of the criminal case against a Pennsylvania woman accused of continuing a lengthy drive while her 8-year-old daughter was unconscious and in urgent need of medical attention.
Lisa Miller, 60, of Dawson, is charged with endangering the welfare of children and recklessly endangering another person. Police allege that she did not seek prompt treatment after the girl reportedly ingested bleach Monday at a West Virginia campground. Miller has not been convicted, and the allegations remain subject to court proceedings.
The boy was in the front passenger seat when Pennsylvania State Police stopped Miller’s vehicle along Route 51 in Perry Township, according to a criminal complaint. Troopers said they found the girl unresponsive, having seizures and restrained by multiple seat belts in the back seat.
The teenager told investigators that he had been informed earlier in the day that his sister ingested bleach at Big Bear Lake Camplands in Bruceton Mills, West Virginia. He said the girl later became seriously ill and unconscious. Authorities have not released independent test results confirming what she ingested or explaining how the exposure occurred.
According to the complaint, the boy repeatedly recognized that his sister needed medical help. He told police that he urged Miller to take the girl to a hospital as they traveled from West Virginia toward their home in Pennsylvania. Miller instead said she planned to take the girl home to “lock her up,” the complaint alleged.
Investigators said Miller passed two hospitals before troopers stopped the vehicle. Police removed the girl and transported her to WVU Medicine Uniontown Hospital. She was later transferred to Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown and placed on life support. Authorities have not provided a detailed medical prognosis.
The boy also told police that his sister had bruises that he believed resulted from Miller striking her. Fayette County District Attorney Mike Aubele said investigators found bruising on the child and material that appeared to have been applied over some of the marks. Those allegations have not been tested in court.
Aubele said police also recovered a dog leash that may have been used to restrain the girl. The complaint described the child as secured by several seat belts when the vehicle was stopped. Investigators have not publicly determined when or why each restraint was used.
The teenager’s statement helped investigators construct a timeline beginning at the campground and continuing through the traffic stop. Witness accounts in criminal complaints are used to establish probable cause, but they are not findings of guilt. Prosecutors would need to prove the charges with admissible evidence if the case goes to trial.
The traffic stop followed a request from Preston County emergency personnel in West Virginia. Pennsylvania troopers were asked shortly after 4 p.m. to conduct a welfare check involving a child traveling across the state line. Officers from the Belle Vernon and Uniontown stations then searched the highway for Miller’s vehicle.
A judge denied Miller bail Tuesday, citing the potential danger to the girl and other children in the home. She was being held in the Fayette County jail. Her preliminary hearing, where a judge will decide whether prosecutors have presented enough evidence for the Pennsylvania charges to proceed, was scheduled for July 28.
West Virginia authorities are investigating the events alleged to have occurred at the campground. Pennsylvania police said more charges are possible, and prosecutors said Miller could face extradition if a West Virginia case is filed. No additional charges had been publicly announced as of Wednesday.
Author note: Last updated July 15, 2026.