On the night of December 5, 2006, 24-year-old Deputy Eddie Miller was heading home from work when a drunk driver crossed the line on Route 35, near his home in rural Mason County, West Virginia, hitting his truck head on. Eddie died at the scene.
Eddie wanted to be a police officer since he was very young, and began doing ride-alongs with the Winfield Police and became active in the D.A.R.E. program. He not only served as a Putnam County Deputy Sherriff, he was also a Winfield police officer, a sergeant in the Army Reserves and was an active member of the Winfield Volunteer Fire Department.
Every morning after his death, Eddie’s mother, Selena Miller, dug at his grave with her bare hands trying to reach him, to hold and keep him warm. She says, “My greatest sorrow as a mother is that I never got to hold him one more time before he was buried. A mother gets to hold their son at birth and should be able to at their death.”
Margie Sadler, a MADD victim advocate, whose daughter was also a friend of Eddie’s, reached out to the Millers with no response. But after nine months, Selena called Margie sobbing, desperately needing someone to help her with the case, which fortunately, Margie was able to offer some assistance. Selena even stated that Margie was able to help her more in 48 hours than her attorney had in the 9 months after the crash.
Despite her terrible grief and initial desire to die, Selena realized that life had other plans. She is now able to understand the pain other parents feel after losing a child and through her own experience, can offer support. Since the crash that killed their son, the Millers have participated in sobriety checkpoints held by the West Virginia State Police, Putnam County Sheriff's Department, and Hurricane Police Department, in honor of Eddie.
This time of year is especially hard for the Millers, with the anniversary of the death of their son in the middle of what is supposed to be “the most wonderful time of the year.” The Millers no longer look forward to the Christmas season, as they once did. To get through the holidays, the Millers still choose to celebrate with family, but now they do so away from the home. When asked if they had any advice for other families, especially during the holidays, Selena stated that “changing the way you celebrate the holidays does help.”
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