Share and Follow
TUSCARAWAS COUNTY, Ohio (WJW) The body of a 45-year-old man has been found in Ohio after an incident Saturday that resulted in the death of his 4-year-old son.
According to a news release from the Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office, an Amish family including a mother, father and children from Holmes County was visiting Atwood Lake for the weekend.
Deputies were called to the lake around 10:40 a.m. local time Saturday after the mother crashed a golf cart into the lake with three of her children on board. Authorities believe the crash was intentional.
“After helping the woman out of the water, the woman made concerning statements about conversing with God,” the release stated.
The woman’s 15-year-old daughter and twin 18-year-old sons were able to get out of the water on their own. However, after talking with the mother and children, responding units became concerned for the safety of a four-year-old son and the woman’s husband, who could not be located, the release said.
“Throughout the day, numerous locations were searched without finding the four-year-old boy or the husband. It became evident after piecing together numerous statements from the woman, the children and other witnesses above that foul play was suspected,” the release stated.
Saturday evening, the body of the 4-year-old boy was recovered off the end of a boat dock.
A witness said they saw the father and mother around 1:15 p.m. Saturday at the same boat dock where the 4-year-old’s body was eventually found.
According to a second news release on Sunday afternoon, boats and divers continued a search in the area after “Two separate pieces of information were learned that led us to strongly believe that the father would be located off the same boat dock the young son had been found near.”
The man’s body was found after a piece of sonar equipment located a “promising image” about 50 yards from the edge of the dock. The man’s body was recovered around 8:30 a.m. on Sunday.
The mother has since been hospitalized for “mental health concerns,” the release said, and the other children were released to their families.
Police are withholding the names of the deceased at this time.