Laila Ann Miller, a three-year-old girl, died on Saturday, August 16, 2014, in Fort Washington, Maryland, at the hands of her father, Frederick R. Miller, 38. The events unfolded on a Saturday afternoon when Miller arrived at the Fort Washington home where Laila lived with her maternal grandfather and great-grandmother. There, he shot both relatives, leaving them in critical condition, before taking Laila from the house.
A neighbor's surveillance video captured Miller carrying his
daughter to his car before he led police on a six-minute chase. During this pursuit, authorities believe he made the conscious decision to end his daughter's life. The chase concluded on Branch Avenue after a wheel fell off Miller's vehicle, at which point a shootout began between Miller and six officers, five from Prince George's County and one Maryland state trooper.
Following the exchange of gunfire, both Frederick Miller and his daughter, Laila, were found inside his car. Miller died at the scene. Initially, the officers involved feared that Laila might have been struck by their gunfire during the shootout. However, the medical examiner's findings later clarified the tragic sequence of events.
An autopsy revealed that Laila had been shot at close range, from a distance of three to six inches, with a. 38 Special revolver. The bullet fragments recovered did not match the ammunition used by any of the law enforcement officers at the scene. In addition to the fatal gunshot wound, the three-year-old's throat had also been slit. Based on this evidence, police concluded that Frederick R. Miller was solely responsible for his daughter's death. The investigation suggested that a contentious custody battle over Laila and Miller's mental health issues were contributing factors to the tragic events.
