Sister Arrested for Thanksgiving Day Murder

A Lima woman, Donna Miller, 64, faces preliminary charges including murder, involuntary manslaughter, and strangulation. These charges are connected to the death of Paula Dirmeyer, 71, which occurred on Thanksgiving Day in 2025. Dirmeyer, identified as Miller's sister, was found deceased at her home in Allen County.

The Ada Police Department began investigating Dirmeyer's death in mid-December. This investigation, spanning multiple counties, was prompted by Dirmeyer's report of an assault by a known individual in Ada on the day she died. She had visited the Ada Police Department on November 24, 2025, to report the incident.

First responders were dispatched to Dirmeyer's rural Harrod residence on November 25, 2025, following a report of a female not breathing. The Allen County Coroner's office confirmed that autopsy results were pending. Miller was indicted on April 15 by the Hardin County court for felony charges including causing Dirmeyer's death by strangulation or suffocation around November 24, 2025.