Dena Schlosser - The Woman Who Cut Her Baby
On July 26th, 2006 Andrea Yates was found not guilty by reason of insanity for drowning her five children. A few days later, she was moved to a high-security mental facility in Vernon, Texas, where she stayed in the same room as Dena Schlosser - another mentally ill woman who had murdered her daughter.
A loving wife and mother of three children, Dena Schlosser led a normal life in Plano, Texas. She had good relations with her neighbors, who described her as a loving mother and didn't see anything wrong within the family. In fact, Texas Child Protective Services had recently even completed a seven-month investigation into the family and concluded that Schlosser did not pose a risk to her children.
Unfortunately, the TCPS's investigation overlooked one key factor: Schlosser's postpartum depression. The first two times she gave birth to her children, Schlosser's depression had gone away without any problems, but after the third time she gave birth, it would cause her to do the unthinkable.
Ten months after her third child, Margaret Schlosser, was born, Dena Schlosser's husband, John Schlosser, called the day-care Margaret was staying at and asked them to check up on his daughter. Since Margaret wasn't present that day, the day-care called Dena before calling 911. A 911 operator then called Dena, a call during which he was met with a chilling confession.
"I cut her arms off"
When police were able to arrive at the scene, Schlosser was calmly holding a bloody knife and Margaret was bleeding out of her arm sockets. Shortly after Margaret was rushed to the hospital, she died from her wounds inflicted by her mother.
After Margaret's death, Schlosser's older two children were released into the custody of John Schlosser while Dena was arrested and put on trial for murdering her child. During the trial, she testified that she was motivated to kill her child after seeing a boy getting mauled on TV by a lion. Believing it to be a sign of the apocalypse, she felt compelled to kill Margaret to "give [her] to God".
Eventually, she was found not guilty by reason of insanity and sentenced to a mental asylum where she would eventually become roommates with Andrea Yates. She would be released on outpatient care in 2008.
Sources:
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-baby-dies-in-texas-after-mother-reports-cutting-2004nov23-story.html
https://www.smh.com.au/world/i-wanted-to-give-my-child-to-god-killer-mother-20041125-gdk6ou.html
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/6561617/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/t/mother-confesses-severingbabys-arms/#.W9FaChNKjVr
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mom-euphoric-before-baby-died/
https://web.archive.org/web/20071209152939/http://news.outsidethebeltway.com/2006/04/dena-schlosser-not-guilty-by-reason-of-insanity
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/news/2012/08/07/woman-who-cut-off-babys-arms-in-2004-is-fired-from-job-at-wal-mart-in-terrell
A loving wife and mother of three children, Dena Schlosser led a normal life in Plano, Texas. She had good relations with her neighbors, who described her as a loving mother and didn't see anything wrong within the family. In fact, Texas Child Protective Services had recently even completed a seven-month investigation into the family and concluded that Schlosser did not pose a risk to her children.
Unfortunately, the TCPS's investigation overlooked one key factor: Schlosser's postpartum depression. The first two times she gave birth to her children, Schlosser's depression had gone away without any problems, but after the third time she gave birth, it would cause her to do the unthinkable.
Ten months after her third child, Margaret Schlosser, was born, Dena Schlosser's husband, John Schlosser, called the day-care Margaret was staying at and asked them to check up on his daughter. Since Margaret wasn't present that day, the day-care called Dena before calling 911. A 911 operator then called Dena, a call during which he was met with a chilling confession.
"I cut her arms off"
When police were able to arrive at the scene, Schlosser was calmly holding a bloody knife and Margaret was bleeding out of her arm sockets. Shortly after Margaret was rushed to the hospital, she died from her wounds inflicted by her mother.
After Margaret's death, Schlosser's older two children were released into the custody of John Schlosser while Dena was arrested and put on trial for murdering her child. During the trial, she testified that she was motivated to kill her child after seeing a boy getting mauled on TV by a lion. Believing it to be a sign of the apocalypse, she felt compelled to kill Margaret to "give [her] to God".
Eventually, she was found not guilty by reason of insanity and sentenced to a mental asylum where she would eventually become roommates with Andrea Yates. She would be released on outpatient care in 2008.
Sources:
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-baby-dies-in-texas-after-mother-reports-cutting-2004nov23-story.html
https://www.smh.com.au/world/i-wanted-to-give-my-child-to-god-killer-mother-20041125-gdk6ou.html
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/6561617/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/t/mother-confesses-severingbabys-arms/#.W9FaChNKjVr
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mom-euphoric-before-baby-died/
https://web.archive.org/web/20071209152939/http://news.outsidethebeltway.com/2006/04/dena-schlosser-not-guilty-by-reason-of-insanity
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/news/2012/08/07/woman-who-cut-off-babys-arms-in-2004-is-fired-from-job-at-wal-mart-in-terrell
Why did the CPS originally investigate her family? It seems like a lot of the infanticide cases we have learned/blogged about are caused by post-par tum depression. It seems like it is so often overlooked! It is terrifying that a mental illness that can lead to such horrific crimes can be overlooked. I don't believe that women suffering with this should lose their children or be booked into a mental hospital-at least until they are given a full mental wellness check. They should be given treatment so that they and their children are kept safe. Otherwise, avoidable ,awful deaths like baby Margaret could continue happening.
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