A 23-year-old mother from Connecticut has been arrested and charged with murdering her 2-year-old daughter. Devoni Miller is accused of intentionally crashing her car into the Connecticut River in September, resulting in the drowning of the toddler. Along with the murder charge, Miller is also facing several other felony charges, including reckless endangerment, interfering with an emergency call, and reckless driving.
The incident took place on September 20 in the town of Cromwell. According to a probable cause affidavit, Miller caused a collision with another vehicle and then tried to flee the scene without slowing down. She proceeded to strike the other vehicle multiple times before leaving. A witness called 911 and reported that Miller exited her car holding the baby, attempting to prevent the witness from making the emergency call. Despite pleas from the witness to check on the child’s well-being, Miller forced her way into another vehicle and hindered the witness from speaking with emergency services. Miller then left the scene, leaving the witness uncertain about the baby’s whereabouts.
Authorities located Miller later that evening, walking along Route 9. She was found wearing only her underwear and was without the child. When questioned about her clothes, Miller stated she had to get rid of them. She pointed towards the area of the river where her daughter was later found and told the police, “That’s where you need to look.”
During interactions with law enforcement, Miller expressed troubling statements, mentioning demons and expressing a desire to die or be sent to jail. , ‘I’m not crazy, just a little depressed,’ and ‘just take me to jail,'” the affidavit states.
Investigators interviewed Miller’s co-workers, who stated that she had been sent home from work on the day of the incident due to displaying erratic behavior. A witness told police that Miller told them her child was “dead” and “in the water.” During their conversation, Miller referred to the Bible multiple times and stated, “I’m not crazy.”
A subsequent autopsy confirmed that the child’s manner of death was a homicide, specifically drowning. The little girl was found in the river approximately two hours after Miller was apprehended. She was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Devoni Miller is scheduled to appear in court again on Friday. The charges against her are severe, reflecting the gravity of the alleged crime.