Susan Miller (née Byrne) gave birth to her son, Matthew, in November 1987. It was then that Miller committed herself fully to the duties of a stay-at-home mom, and did not leave her house in Omaha for more than 16 years. Her unrelenting commitment to raising her children in a secure, loving home has caused her family increasing strife as the children have aged. Despite numerous attempts to convince Miller to leave the home, she has refused, saying, “You wouldn’t want a firefighter to just walk away from a fire, would you?”
Miller’s husband, Paul—while content with the state of his home and meals received—ran out of things to talk about with his wife approximately nine years ago. “Even with the internet and everything, it seems as though she has no means or will to obtain information about the outside world. On the upside, she has absolutely mastered lemon-pepper chicken.”
To experience major milestones in her three children’s lives, Miller relies solely on photographs, which she has framed and hung meticulously throughout her home. Looking at a recent photo of Matthew, she notes that the thrill of watching her son score a winning goal isn’t worth the thought of him coming home to a cold, takeout dinner “made by some perfect stranger in God-knows-where.”
Miller’s daughter, Eva, eventually faked a gruesome automobile accident a mere two blocks from their home in the hopes that she would lure her mom outside. Miller remained in her kitchen unfazed, stating, “This dishwasher isn’t going to run itself.”
According to