Dena Schlosser had defied great odds from her early years to carve out a semblance of normal life. However, a tragic blend of postpartum depression and intense religious beliefs shattered her aspirations for normalcy in a devastating incident.

In November 2004, Schlosser used a kitchen knife to amputate the arms of her 11-month-old daughter, Margaret Schlosser. Tragically, the infant succumbed to her injuries, leading to her mother's arrest for murder.

This event marked only the beginning of what would unfold as a deeply unsettling and complex legal case.

Dena Schlosser's Early Life

Born in 1969 in upstate New York, Dena Leitner faced significant challenges from a young age. At the age of eight, she was diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition characterized by an accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain, which can severely affect brain functions and be fatal if not treated.

Leitner endured eight surgeries before the age of thirteen to implant shunts that would help drain the fluid from her brain to her heart and abdomen. Despite surviving these procedures without severe physical harm, the necessity to shave her head for surgery subjected her to relentless bullying by her peers.

Despite these challenges, she persevered and attended Marist College, where she completed her bachelor's degree in psychology. It was there that she met John Schlosser; he ended up using his future in-laws' money for tuition, dropped out, and never completed his degree.

Although their beginnings were somewhat rocky, Dena and John Schlosser got married, had two daughters, and relocated to Fort Worth, Texas. There, John launched a successful venture in the burgeoning field of computer science. Despite this professional success, the family's personal life was strained; John insisted that Dena should not work, and they started attending a fundamentalist church called Water of Life, led by Doyle Davidson, a former veterinarian who claimed to receive divine visions.

As Dena and John became more immersed in the activities and teachings of the Water of Life church, their domestic situation began to deteriorate significantly.

The Horrifying Murder Of Margaret Schlosser

Before joining the Water of Life Church, John and Dena Schlosser's life seemed fairly ordinary. However, in pursuit of a higher-paying job, John left his stable employment for consulting work, which soon fizzled out, leaving them financially unstable. As a result, they lost their Fort Worth home to foreclosure. They then moved their family 120 miles to Plano, Texas, to be closer to the church.

Additionally, Dena Schlosser had faced significant emotional challenges, having endured three miscarriages before the birth of her two children. The arrival of her daughter Margaret in 2003 plunged her into severe postpartum depression. Reports later disclosed that she attempted suicide the day after Margaret's birth and was subsequently hospitalized in a psychiatric ward, where she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and psychotic features.

The year prior to the tragic incident, Dena Schlosser was under scrutiny from Texas Child Protective Services (CPS) following a psychotic episode. She was instructed not to be alone with her children. However, John Schlosser did not seek psychological assistance for her, adhering to their church's teachings which purportedly opposed such interventions. The evening before the tragic event, John Schlosser physically assaulted Dena with a wooden spoon in the presence of their children, following her declaration that she "wanted to give her child to Doyle."

On November 22, 2004, Dena Schlosser interpreted a news report about a lion attacking a boy as a prophetic sign of the apocalypse. She believed she then heard a divine command instructing her to amputate Margaret's arms, and subsequently her own, as a sacrificial act.

"She felt she was basically commanded, in essence, to cut [Margaret Schlosser's] arms off and her own arms off, and her legs and her head, and in some way to give them to God." David Self, a psychiatrist who assessed Schlosser in the months following her arrest, eventually concluded that she had been suffering from postpartum psychosis.

In the immediate aftermath of the crime, police discovered Dena Schlosser in her living room, drenched in blood with a severe cut on her shoulder and her baby's arms gruesomely severed. As officers escorted her away, she was humming a Christian hymn and speaking softly saying, "Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Lord."

Dena Schlosser Is Found Not Guilty By Reason Of Insanity

The trial of Dena Schlosser introduced even more bizarre elements. Doyle Davidson, testifying at the trial, proclaimed that he believed all mental illnesses were "Satanic" and therefore, he discouraged his followers, including the Schlossers, from using anti-psychotic medications to manage their conditions.

"I do not believe that any mental illness exists other than demons, and no medication can straighten it out, other than the power of God," he said on the stand.

Additionally, it came to light that Dena Schlosser had been on anti-psychotic medication for years before joining the Water of Life Church. However, once they became more involved with the church, her husband quickly had her discontinue the medication.

Following these events, John Schlosser initiated a divorce from Dena and sought custody of their surviving daughters, who were unharmed during the incident. He successfully gained custody, but only after agreeing to Texas CPS conditions that required a family member to live in the home to help ensure the children's safety, as CPS believed John had failed to adequately protect them from their troubled mother. As a condition of their divorce, Dena Schlosser was barred from any contact with John and their daughters.

Dena Schlosser was acquitted on the grounds of insanity and subsequently committed to a psychiatric hospital. There, she unexpectedly became friends with Andrea Yates, another Texas woman infamous for murdering her five children.

"She is almost my identical personality," said Dena Schlosser. "I think we'll be friends forever. I've only known her for a short period of time, but I believe the feeling is mutual. She probably thinks that same thing."

In 2008, Dena Schlosser was transitioned to an outpatient treatment program. Conditions of her release included mandatory birth control use, adherence to her antipsychotic medication regimen, regular therapy sessions, and prohibition of unsupervised interactions with children. Nevertheless, she was readmitted to inpatient care in 2010 after she was found wandering outside early in the morning, appearing dazed and confused.

As of December 2020, a judge ruled that Dena Schlosser should remain in a state hospital indefinitely. Judge Andrea Thompson noted that Schlosser experiences "religious delusions" without her medication and concluded that continuous care within the Texas state system was in everyone's best interest.

In 2012, Dena Schlosser, using her maiden name Dena Leitner, was found working at a Walmart in Plano, Texas. Her employment there became widely publicized after the media reported on her situation, leading to her termination within hours of the story airing.