LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — The Lancaster County teen accused of stabbing her older sister to death early Monday morning was having suicidal and homicidal thoughts, a witness told Manheim Township Police after the incident.
Claire Miller, 14, is charged with homicide in the death of her older sister, Helen, according to Manheim Township Police. She called police shortly after 1 a.m. Monday and told them she had killed her sister.
Arriving officers found Claire Miller outside her Clayton Avenue home, according to the criminal complaint affidavit filed by police. She was allegedly attempting to wash blood off her hands in the snow outside the home, police say.
Inside the home, officers found Helen Miller in one of the bedrooms. The 19-year-old victim was lying in a bed with a knife in her neck, just above her chest.
Miller's parents were sleeping at the time of the incident, police say.
An autopsy performed by the Lancaster County Coroner's Office determined Helen Miller, who suffered from cerebral palsy, had been stabbed several times. Her death was ruled a homicide, police say.
Claire Miller was taken into custody.
In an application for a search warrant filed by investigators, police say a witness contacted them at 1:42 a.m. to report that they had been speaking to Claire Miller on the phone, and that Miller had been having suicidal and homicidal thoughts.
The search warrant application listed several items police wanted to collect as evidence in the case, including DNA samples from the scene, the snow outside the home, and from Claire Miller's person, along with sheets, a blanket, a pillow, a stuffed rabbit toy found on Helen Miller's bed, clothing, several different knives, a whiteboard listing chores for Claire Miller to perform, and her cell phone.
Claire Miller is being held without bail in Lancaster County Prison. Her preliminary hearing, originally scheduled for Friday, has been moved to March 30, according to court records.