Devoni Miller (Connecticut State Police)
A 23-year-old mother in Connecticut has been arrested for allegedly killing her 2-year-old daughter in September after authorities say she intentionally crashed her car into the Connecticut River and drowned the toddler. Devoni Miller was arrested and charged with a spate of felonies, including murder, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
Additionally, Miller was charged with one count each of first-degree reckless endangerment, interfering with an emergency call, reckless driving, evading responsibility in operations of other vehicles, and risk of injury to a child.
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Law&Crime, Miller at about 5:20 p.m. on Sept. 20 caused an automobile collision in the town of Cromwell, crashing into another vehicle without slowing down and striking that vehicle several more times while trying to flee the scene. Miller left the scene and allegedly struck another vehicle a short distance away before crashing into a guardrail that sat “directly over a steep embankment leading down to the Connecticut River” which was about 50 feet from the water’s edge.
A female witness called 911 and said Miller then got out of her car holding a baby, hugged her, and said, “You can’t call 911, I can’t go back there, they are going to take me back there.” Miller allegedly tried several times to grab the witness’ cellphone and hang it up.
From the affidavit:
Miller ignored requests to get over to the side of the roadway and see if the baby was okay, and forced her way into the rear passenger side door of [redacted] vehicle, in which [redacted] was sitting in the front seat. [Redacted] ran to get in the driver’s side of her vehicle while trying to speak with 911. Miller reached forward into the front center of the vehicle and ended the 911 call on the infotainment system. Miller continued yelling about her family and then reached forward, grabbing [redacted] shoulders from behind, and stated “If you love her, you’d get me out of here and not let me go back.” [Redacted] told Miller she was scaring [redacted] and told her to get out of the vehicle. Miller then released [redacted] and exited [redacted] vehicle with her baby back out onto the Route 9 North Roadway. [Redacted] stated she did not know where Miller went with her baby after getting out of her car.
Miller was located by authorities at about 7:12 p.m. walking along Route 9, back toward the direction of the latter car crash without a child and wearing only her underwear. When asked where her clothes were, she responded, “I had to get rid of it,” police said. She also stated that her child was “floating.”
Miller then pointed toward the area in the river where her daughter was later found and told police, “that’s where you need to look.”
“During her time speaking with Cromwell PD, Miller also made statements that included ‘just kill me’ when asked if she wanted to stay warm and sit in a car, ‘I’m not crazy, just a little depressed,’ and ‘just take me to jail,”” the affidavit states.
Investigators interviewed Miller’s co-workers and found she’d been sent home from work earlier in the day for acting erratic, per the affidavit.
While in the hospital, a witness told police that Miller told them her child was “dead” and “in the water.” Miller then allegedly made several references to the Bible and stated, “I’m not crazy.” She also stated she was “running and hiding from the police and demons.”
Authorities found the child in the river about two hours after Miller was apprehended. The child was taken to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.
A subsequent autopsy determined that the victim’s manner of death was a homicide and the cause of death was drowning.
Miller is due to appear in court again on Friday.
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