My God! How totally fucked up!

Baby Dies After Her Arms Are Severed

By LISA FALKENBERG, Associated Press Writer

PLANO, Texas - With a calm and dispassionate voice and a hymn playing in the background, Dena Schlosser confessed to the unthinkable, telling a 911 operator she'd cut off the arms of her baby girl.

The woman was sitting in her living room covered with blood when police arrived Monday. Her nearly 11-month-old daughter lay fatally injured in a crib in a bedroom of the family's apartment in Plano. The child died shortly afterward at a nearby hospital.

Police have charged the 35-year-old mother with capital murder, but declined to reveal where she is being held.

Schlosser, who had a history of postpartum depression, had been investigated on child neglect allegations earlier this year, but Texas Child Protective Services had recently closed a seven-month investigation, concluding that Schlosser did not pose a risk to her children. Neighbors said she seemed to be a loving, attentive mother.

"There were never any indications of violence with this family," agency spokeswoman Marissa Gonzales said. "The children had always been healthy, happy and cared for."

But, on Monday, authorities discovered a grisly scene at the family's apartment after the child's father called a day-care center, and asked them to check on his wife and daughter.

Day-care workers called 911 after talking to the mother; an operator then called Schlosser.

Asked if there was an emergency, Schlosser calmly responded "Yes," according to 911 tapes released by police.

"Exactly what happened?" the 911 operator asked.

"I cut her arms off," Schlosser replied, as the hymn "He Touched Me" played in the background.

"You cut her arms off?" he repeated.

"Uh huh," she answered.

It was not immediately clear what instrument was used to sever the baby's arms or why the child's father called a day-care center to check on his family.

Schlosser lived at the apartment with other family members, including her two older daughters. Authorities said the girls, ages 6 and 9, were at school when police arrived, and that their father was at work.

No one answered the door Monday night at the family's apartment in suburban Dallas. Children's bicycles rested near the entrance along with angel garden statues.

Neighbors said Schlosser took her children swimming in the summer, had picnics in the courtyard and walked her baby around the complex the same time each afternoon.

Dena Livingston, 43, said she saw Schlosser making her rounds with the stroller on Sunday. Two days earlier, she saw Schlosser waiting with the baby outside the elementary school where her two other daughters attend.



"She didn't give off like she was in a distant world or didn't care about the baby," Livingston said.

Livingston's husband, Brad, added: "To see her with the girls, you would just think she was a great mother."

Child-protective officials were interviewing Schlosser's daughters and would talk to the father before deciding whether to remove the girls from the home.

In January, the agency was called to the home after Schlosser was seen running down the street, with one of her daughters bicycling after her, authorities said. When officials arrived, the child told them her mother had left her 6-day-old sister alone in the apartment.

Schlosser appeared at the time to be suffering from postpartum depression and having a psychotic episode, Gonzales said.

Schlosser was hospitalized, and later agreed to seek counseling and saw a psychiatrist, Gonzales said.

"At the time we closed the case, we had been assured that Mom was stabilized and that she was not a risk to herself or her children," Geoff Wool, spokesman for the Family and Protective Services Department, said.

Postpartem depression scares me. I've read that it just takes you over completely. And I really don't think young mothers are educated enough about it, it can hit them like a ton of bricks. I think alot of women feel guilty about admitting that they are completely miserable shortly after they have a kid because everyone thinks they should be on cloud 9 because of their new baby. I saw a friend of mine go through it but thankfully she asked for help and got it. That's a terrible story.

Very frightening indeed. I just have a such a hard time wrapping my mind around this crime. She cut of the arms of her own baby, wtf?

Yea..it's called "Insane".

I'm in shock Being a Mother of 2 myself, I can't even imagine. I only have 2 words to say "Death Penalty"!

Actually Blake postpartem depression is different from all-out insanity although the end product is just as scarry. Women tend to "recover" from post partem at some point on their own, I believe. Could be wrong about that.

And yeah, the act of cutting off your baby's arms... unthinkable.

I understand what you are saying, however, someone like that can never be trusted again. If she can do something so fucked up as too cut off her babies arms. I mean my god....her mind has to be royally fucked up!! Oh, I can't rationally reply anymore, this is too messed up.

I just re-read.. the baby was an 11 month old. I think postpartem affects women shortly after they give birth so I'm not sure this woman even has that excuse.

Yea..well call it what you want..she's in insane in my opinion..even if it happened when it happened. Jeffrey Dommer was insane in alot of instances..the time he took to eat dinner..whatever that was..even if it was real food..I wouldn't consider him sane. lol. [Edited for Correction]

PPD is scary as hell. You think you're fine one moment and the next you're hearing voices. And you feel so much guilt for not being overjoyed. I was lucky to have a great set of in-laws who took really good care of me and a doctor who understood and worked hard to get me medicated. Even with treatment and counseling, many women still feel guilty - even when they're diagnosed and after it's over, they feel guilty for going through it at all.

It took me 6 months to get over it - six months of intense hormonal therapy, counseling and antidepressants. I had it with my first son, not my 2nd too. It's not easy for anyone. You truly are not yourself.

My heart goes out to her and her family. As bad as getting over it is, NOT getting treated for it is (as is shows in this case) far, far worse.

I'm not sure about that Ingrid. My ex wife went through it after our daughter was born. I brought them to germany after my tour in Bosnia. My little one was already 8 months old and my ex couldn't even hold her. Matters worse of course the little one had no clue who I was so didn't like that either. It was a rough 3-4 months with the biatch on heavy prozac before things starting getting normal. She's a psycho anyway so 'normal' is just a word.

I'm not sure if I buy the postpartem depression defense - something was obviously very wrong going on even before that:



Something triggered the investigation by TCPS - these people are busy and don't spend seven months investigating on a temporary condition. Also - it looks to me like the father of the children was concerned in particular that day as he called Day Care to check on his child that was at home with his wife? Dosen't make sense.

My guess is that this is all out schizophrenia coupled with a psychotic episode.

I cannot fathom waking up out of a fog to discover that I'd done something so henious.

I am so sorry for that baby and that family.

This was a horrible tragedy. One thing that is REALLY making me mad is all the stupid "political correctness" surrounding the reporting of it. Whenever CNN talks about this, they said the woman "allegedly" cut her baby's arms off.

What the HELL is alleged about this? She called 911 and said, "Hey, I cut my baby's arm off..." The paramedics arrived and found her there, alone with the baby, with blood all over her.

Why does our society have to be so PC that we can't even report the news the way it happens, and always say everything's "alleged" this and "alleged" that!?

Watch FOX, they hardly ever say 'allegedly'.

reading that made me weak in the knees..i couldnt ever picture someone doing that...I love babies and god..ppl need help..seriously..god rest that child's soul

Sickening, being a mom, I just cannot comprehend what would drive a person to do such an act.

Yes they grate on your nerves, like everyone does but JESUS CHRIST, that is just... I don't even HAVE a word for it..

Death Sentance isn't even good enough , although I am sure when she pulls through her illness, she will indeed torture herself.

Now i'm going to give my daughter a hug and realise how truly lucky I am..

BTW.. I went through depression after my daughter, but nowhere near as bad, some days I didn't know what the hell I was doing, its no excuse, but she needed help she quite clearly did not receive

give her a hug from me too...

Whether the mother was suffering from post natal depression or not, she was obviously suffering from some mental aberration.

I was shocked to read someone suggest the death penalty - is that really appropriate? There but for the grace of your god go you.

Latonia

Wow...how disturbing. I don't quite understand postpartum depression but have heard of some women suffering from it. I am a mother of 2 beautiful girls and this story just made me feel sick. Obviously the woman is mentally disturbed and belongs in a mental institution. I don't know what else you can do with someone who commits such a thing. I personally do not believe in the death penalty so that is out of the question as a form of punishment. But how disturbing.

Instead of post partum depression, it sounds more like post partum psychosis. When my first born came home, I had complications. I had complications with being pregnancy, delivery, and post natal as well. It was about a month later that I began having VERY bad thoughts in my head concerning my child and the people around him. I was afraid of others hurting him and much worse, me hurting him. SO I went to my Ob-gyn and told her to put me in an institution, that i am insane. We talked and she said that i would be fine after a couple of days with some meds. She said not to be left alone for at least those 2 days till the meds take effect and see how that goes. My husband was involved with the whole process and family as well.

IT IS VERY SERIOUS AND SCARY FOR THE MOTHER. So I don't judge this woman who did this horrible crime, but somehow she was left without help in this crisis. I don't believe she just all of a sudden had these thoughts. I believe that the people around her had some indication that she wasn't right in the head but didn't want to deal with it or didn't want to get involved. Maybe they were just too busy in their own little lives to care or be concerned. I am sure that everyone around her now can see where they have failed to help. The baby is fine now in God's arms but it has horribly messed up the other two daughters for the rest of their lives, now. The mother may get help now but it is too late, the damage is done. The father will blame himself forever, and those close to her.

These are only my thoughts and opinions, but i have been there and got the help and support required for this problem. I pray for all of those women who are being thrown to the side and not being cared for.

Because, in this country unlike many others, suspects are innocent until proven guilty.

Well said, Latonia. No doubt, an innocent, defenseless child lost her life. Based on a number of comments posted in this thread, it's rather obvious that we are clueless when it comes to mental illness.

This news story was the first thing I read when getting to work this morning, and I was horrified. My first response was, "She needs to die!". But, of course, she is obviously very mentally ill, so perhaps that isn't the answer. However, if she ever becomes more fit mentally, how could she possibly live with what she has done. Personally, if I came out of my haze to find that I had killed my child, and is such an incredibly horrible manner, I would promptly end my own life.

I think the way in which she killed her baby is making it very difficult for people to get past the act itself. The fact that she cut her babies arms off has created an image that will not leave my mind. The baby would not have died immediately. It is just so gruesome. I have read of a mother who drowned her children and others who have killed a children as a result of post partum depression but I did not react the same way. I have been thinking about this shit all day. I too feel extremely bad for the father and the other two children. This is a real tragedy.

*twitches* :/

Did she do it for Jesus? There has been a lot of that lately it seems.