Dena Schlosser

Dena Schlosser ( Leitner, born 1969) is an American woman who lived in Plano, Texas, 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 daycare center who had spoken to her earlier that day. The 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 Leitner was diagnosed with hydrocephalus. She had eight surgeries to implant shunts into her brain, heart and abdomen before she was 13 years old. She graduated from Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, with a bachelor's degree in psychology. She met her husband, John Schlosser, when they were both students at Marist. Eventually they moved to Texas. The day after Margaret was born, Schlosser attempted suicide, was hospitalized in a psychiatric ward, and was 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. Schlosser came to believe that Margaret was destined to marry Doyle Davidson, a veterinarian who had become their 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 by severing her arms with a knife, while her other two daughters were not physically harmed. Psychologist David Self testified that Schlosser told him about a disturbing news story she had seen.