CROMWELL, CT – A mother has been arrested for suspected child murder after an unusual crash occurrence along Route 9 in Cromwell, Connecticut, this past September. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has recently confirmed that the toddler’s death was a murder, prompting the arrest.
The incident occurred around 5:20 pm on Sept. 11, when state police responded to a crash report involving an unoccupied vehicle on Route 9 South. Witnesses reported seeing a woman with a child exit the vehicle and descend a nearby embankment.
According to an arrest warrant, the mother, identified as Devoni Miller of Cromwell, was intentionally speeding just prior to the crash. It is alleged that she convinced the other driver involved in the crash not to inform the police of the incident.
Upon police arrival at the crash, Miller was noticed in undergarments, appearing calm and uninjured. When questioned about her lack of clothing, Miller explained that she “had to get rid of it,” also informing the authorities that her toddler was in the river, as they had been swimming.
Miller expressed to Cromwell officers that while she wasn’t “crazy,” she did feel “a little depressed,” and suggested she should be incarcerated. Witnesses also reported Miller acting oddly and displaying an emotional detachment since her child’s recent birthday.
Post-crash, Miller claimed to be “running and hiding from the police and demons.” In addition to her concerning behavior, police discovered Miller’s sudden interest in the Bible, frequently quoting scriptures.
After a search duration of two hours, first responders spotted a woman on Route 9 North matching witness descriptions from the crash. Soon after, an unresponsive child was discovered in a rocky part of the Connecticut River. The child was unfortunately declared dead upon arrival at the hospital.
Chief Medical Examiner’s Office determined the child’s cause of death to be drowning. They also identified the child as 2-year-old Deroyal Miller. It is noted that the water level was unusually high at the time of the incident due to recent rainfall.
Cromwell police arrested Miller, the child’s mother, on Thursday. Additional charges, including risk of injury to a child, reckless endangerment, evading responsibility, interfering with an emergency call and reckless driving, have also been leveled against her.
Miller is currently held on a $1 million bond and is in the custody of the Department of Corrections. Her court date is scheduled for Dec. 22.