Dena Schlosser
| Dena Schlosser | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Dena Laettner 1969 (age 47–48) Plano, Texas |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Marist College |
| Criminal charge | Murder |
| Criminal penalty | Committed |
| Criminal status | Released |
| Spouse(s) | John Schlosser |
| Children | 3 |
Dena Laettner Schlosser (born 1969) is a Plano, Texas woman who, on November 22, 2004, used a knife to amputate the arms of her eleven-month-old daughter, Margaret, who died as a result. Plano police responded to a 9-1-1 call made by concerned workers at a local day care center who had spoken to her earlier that day. The 9-1-1 operator testified that she confessed to her and that the gospel song, "He Touched Me" played in the background. When police arrived, they saw her calmly sitting down, covered in blood, holding the knife, and singing Christian hymns.
Hours after her arrest, police heard her repeatedly chanting, "Thank you Jesus, thank you Lord."
At the age of eight, Dena Laettner was diagnosed with hydrocephalus. She had eight surgeries to implant shunts into her brain, heart and abdomen before she was 13 years old. Her schoolmates made fun of her shaved head. She graduated from Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York with a bachelor's degree in psychology.
She met her husband, John, when they were both students at Marist. She graduated from Marist, but her husband John did not. Eventually they moved to Texas, where John would not allow her to work.
The day after Margaret was born, Schlosser attempted suicide, was hospitalized in a psychiatric ward, and diagnosed with bipolar disorder with psychotic features. She had been investigated earlier that year by the Texas Child Protective Services (CPS) after she was hospitalized for a psychotic episode. CPS ordered that she could not be alone with her children. Her sister-in-law came to live with them until CPS lifted the order. She came to believe that Margaret was destined to marry Doyle Davidson, a veterinarian who had become the family's pastor. The day before she attacked Margaret, Schlosser told her husband that she wanted to give her to Davidson. Later that day, according to a confidential CPS report, he spanked her with a wooden spoon in front of their children. She fatally injured Margaret, while her other two daughters were not harmed.
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