Death of child found in Connecticut River after crash on Route 9 ruled a homicide

The death of a young girl found in the Connecticut River in September following a crash hours earlier on Route 9 in Cromwell has been ruled a homicide.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said this week that 2-year-old Deroyal Miller of Cromwell died by drowning.

The child was rescued from the Connecticut River hours after she and her mother, 24-year-old Devoni Miller, were involved in a crash on Sept. 11, according to Connecticut State Police. Deroyal had turned 2 just days earlier on Sept. 8.

State police on Thursday said their investigation into the “suspicious death” remains “active and ongoing” and that they are not able to release additional information.

Death of 2-year-old girl found in Connecticut River deemed ‘suspicious,’ state police say

State police in September said Devoni Miller was driving a Hyundai Sonata SE south on the Exit 25 on-ramp to get onto Route 9 when she struck the rear bumper of a Kia Forte driven by a 59-year-old Rocky Hill woman at 5:20 p.m. The Hyundai then crossed the center median of the highway and headed into the northbound lanes before hitting a metal guardrail, according to state police.

Responding troopers found the Hyundai unoccupied and began an extensive search of the area upon learning the driver left the scene with her young child and walked down a nearby embankment, state police said. The driver of the Kia took herself to Middlesex Hospital for a suspected minor injury, according to state police.

About two hours after the crash, authorities found Devoni Miller walking along Route 9 North. She was taken to Middlesex Hospital to be evaluated.

Shortly thereafter, Deroyal Miller was found unresponsive in a rocky area of the Connecticut River. She was rescued from the water and taken to Middlesex Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 9:23 p.m., state police said.

Immediately following the incident, state police investigators deemed the death of Deroyal Miller suspicious. They alerted the Connecticut Department of Children and Families of the incident.

“DCF conducted a joint investigation with law enforcement into this tragic incident and we can confirm DCF had no prior history with the family,” a spokesperson for the agency said Thursday.