Mom charged with manslaughter, DUI for Salem crash that killed her 2-year-old daughter
Whitney WoodworthA Turner woman is facing manslaughter, DUI and meth charges stemming from a 2018 car crash that killed her young daughter.
Janie Amanda Miller, 33, was arrested Thursday on charges of first-degree manslaughter, DUI, methamphetamine possession and four counts of reckless endangerment.
According to Salem police, she was involved in an April 7 crash at the intersection of Cordon Road and Lancaster Drive SE.
Salem police spokesman Lt. Treven Upkes said Miller's car was traveling southbound on Cordon when it collided head-on with an SUV stopped in a turn lane waiting to turn north onto Lancaster.
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Miller and her 2-year-old daughter, Ellie Jane Bruce were taken to Salem Hospital for treatment. No one else was injured in the crash.
Ellie Jane died later on April 26, according to her obituary.
Miller's blood-alcohol content at the time of the crash was at least .15 percent, according to court records. She allegedly was under the influence of marijuana and was caught with a usable amount of methamphetamine.
During inquiries by the Statesman Journal in April 2018, Salem police declined to comment further on the crash, citing the ongoing investigation.
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Prosecutors did not file charges until 2019. A grand jury indicted Miller on charges of recklessly causing her daughter's death under "circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life."
She also is accused of putting four people at risk of serious injury during the incident, including occupants of the other vehicle.
A warrant was issued for Miller's arrest and she was taken into custody by Marion County Sheriff's deputies.
Thursday's arrest was not Miller's first time facing DUI charges.
In 2009, she was convicted of driving under the influence of intoxicants and sentenced to 18 months probation.
Miller is being held without bail at the Marion County jail and is scheduled to appear for arraignment 3 p.m. Friday.
For questions, comments and news tips, email reporter Whitney Woodworth at wmwoodwort@statesmanjournal.com, call 503-399-6884 or follow on Twitter @wmwoodworth
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