Texas News Texas News Saved from : http://www.dfw.com/mld/startelegram/news/state/10253114.htm?1c Posted on Tue, Nov. 23, 2004 Mother arrested in baby's death Star-Telegram dave Seymour Mother arrested in baby's death Baby dies after arms severed *By Nathaniel Jones and Bill Miller* *Star-Telegram Dallas Bureau* *PLANO - *Police arrested a woman after she told authorities that she severed her 11-month-old daughter's arms Monday at her Plano apartment, police said. The infant died at Plano Medical Center, which is less than two blocks from the baby's home at the Fairway Apartments in the 1700 block of Coit Road. Police identified the mother as Dena Schlosser, 35, a onetime Fort Worth resident, who they said has been charged with capital murder. Authorities did not release the child's name Monday, and they said they were not sure what was used to cut off the child's arms. Schlosser's husband was at work and the couple's two other daughters, ages 6 and 9, were at school during the attack, said Carl Duke, a Plano police spokesman. According to The Associated Press, authorities found Dena Schlosser, 35, and the fatally injured baby on Monday 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, and a 911 operator then called the mother. The 911 operator asked Schlosser if there was an emergency, according to 911 tapes released by police. Schlosser calmly responded, "Yes." "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. Authorities said that when they arrived at the apartment, they found the baby in a bedroom with her arms severed. Schlosser, covered in blood, was sitting in her living room, Duke told The Associated Press. "She wasn't trying to hide," he said. The family was investigated by Child Protective Services in January, shortly after the baby was born, when Schlosser reportedly left the baby alone in the apartment and was running down a street, said Marissa Gonzales, an agency spokeswoman. "Someone saw her and called the police and then we got involved," Gonzales said. "A [CPS] worker followed up with the family and monitored to make sure mom was following up with a mental health professional. There was no indication of violence or abuse." Schlosser had symptoms of postpartum depression, Gonzales said. Schlosser was held in the Collin County Jail late Monday night, Duke said. He said state law prohibited him from saying whether Schlosser had a criminal history. A records check by the /Star-Telegram/ showed no previous arrests. CPS spokeswoman Gonzales said that there never were any concerns with the father. "He had always been very appropriate and very cooperative," she said. "Our workers will interview the other children and the dad and try to determine whether the other children need to be in [CPS] custody," Gonzales said. Monday night, residents at the complex gathered near Schlosser's apartment and recalled the mother and daughters who visited the pool at the property's center. "I just can't believe it, she loved those girls," said Al Sosa, a neighbor. "Every time you saw her, she would be so loving toward them." Postpartum depression occurs when hormonal changes during pregnancy affect neurotransmitters in the brain, said Dr. Jaye Crowder, assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. Crowder said symptoms include loss of sleep, appetite or interest in usual activities. If this lasts for only a couple of weeks, the condition is called "sudden baby blues." "But beyond that point, a lot of depressive symptoms are considered abnormal," Crowder said. He said that women with severe cases of postpartum depression usually don't hurt anyone but that some have suicidal thoughts that occasionally extend to their babies. "In other words, a mother may feel she would be better off dead," Crowder said, "but there's a loss of the ego boundaries, and people have trouble telling where they end and where another person begins." Crowder said many such mothers are ashamed of their feelings, so they don't seek help. "Don't be afraid to tell your doctor or your spouse," he said. "If you're open about it, it takes away a lot of stigma if someone isn't rejected." This is the second case of a mother being accused of killing her children in the past year and a half in Plano. Lisa Diaz was found not guilty of capital murder by reason of insanity in August and was sent to a state mental hospital for treatment. Jurors were told that Diaz had been depressed and delusional when she drowned her two daughters in a bathtub in September 2003. Schlosser's apartment is less than five miles west of where Diaz drowned her daughters. This Report Includes Material From the Associated Press. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ //Nathaniel Jones, (972) 263-4448 njones@star-telegram.com / /Bill Miller, (972) 263-4448 wmiller@star-telegram.com //