TX - Scott Buchholtz-Sanchez, 3 wks, decapitated, San Antonio, July 2009 *Insanity*

[magickone138]

It is interesting that so many harken to the Yates' case, it would be interesting to see what medications this woman was taking. We know that Andrea Yates was taking a reuptake inhibitor, I believe Paxil. While millions of Americans take these medications without suicidal or psychotic behavior, almost all of the people who commit these acts are under their influence.

The correlation may not be the PPD, but the medication used to treat it. Just a thought. I took one such drug to quit smoking and did some reading that found shocking information about such behavior associated with these drugs. I would suggest doing some reading on this subject.

I would wonder how many cases such as these took place a fifty years ago, when these drugs were not given to treat PPD.

I am not knocking the drugs because millions find them to be helpful, but there is something strange going on with these cases.

 

[4Kat]

http://www.kens5.com/latestnews/stories/KENS20090726-Baby-Killed-NW-Side.7b68a56a.html?ocp=2


This is a comment that one poster made and it just totally amazed me! I lived in San Antonio while stationed in the Air Force and never came across a neighbor that felt this way. Is this a typical neighbor in this area these days? WTH?

.you don't want the citizens to hold CPS responsible for children falling in the cracks......well if the family members didn't do anything to help out this animal, then how do you expect the community to see the signs of her mental illness?

1. We are not professionals when it comes to the mentally ill, and if citizens taken things into there own hands they can also fall victim to this mentally ill person.

2. I blame CPS, because they are over their head with open cases and still miss handle the department. Get help...train...hire...

3. I was recently informed that CPS workers train new staff and then load them with more cases then they can handle, instead of just starting them off with 8-10 cases its more like 25-50 cases for a new employee, while employees with experience have fewer cases year after year? I would suggest the employees with experience have more cases because they are familiar with the system and are able to see abuse most faster.

4. And if you lived next door, tell us what you would have done if anything......people tend to keep to their own family/business life these days and find themselves too involved with their own career/family to give a crap about anything around them that doesn't effect them personally.
So, if neighbors saw kids out at all hours, why didn't they call the police?

5. And as for the doctors seeing this mother and child, didn't they see some signs? They are doctors? Everyone one wants to blame someone, but no one wants the responsibility to have saved this family from such tragedy.

Mental Illness effects a good protion of Americans. But, we are not aware of the signs, ages it hits, mothers, fathers, children, grandparents.

We need to be made aware...before you suggest we get involved with something that might even cost us our lives.
It seems like 50% of the citizens don't agree with your comments regarding CPS and your thoughts.
If you want HELP then educate the public first.

 

[Disguiseduser0308]

I'm sorry, but I do believe the family members with whom she was living bear some responsibility here. They had to have known she was not right in the head. She didn't just snap to this degree in one day FGS!

It really is up to family to intervene when a new mother is so ill. They knew her best and may have seen signs or changes in her. Unfortunately, there also can be a "snapped" factor that just suddenly arises. In which case, we can't really blame the family. Who knows how they perceived the mother and the dealings with this particular child prior to this horrific incident? There may have been no obvious outward signs of postpartum illness at all.

 

[Dave AHFB]

This is the Chiefs PC from today

http://www.ksat.com/video/20193537/index.html

 

[Fairy1]

I don't think it's fair to blame CPS in this case. Not that they shouldn't be blamed much of the time, but not this time.

This baby was less than 3 weeks old. I suppose we may find out if her OB/Gyn had any clue about this woman's mental state, but I doubt it. I do not believe mandatory testing is the answer; I'm not sure how they could test or what they would do if there was a red flag.

It's become sort of a joke how "hormonal" women become when they are pregnant. IMO, it just follows that there is a hormonal "disruption" once the babies are born. It should be just a standard part of follow-up to ask the right questions.

That being said, what questions could her doctor have asked that would have led her/him to believe this woman would do what she has done? This goes way beyond the "baby blues" and being weepy. IDK, I don't know that anyone outside her home and family could have had a clue of what went down.

Mothers in general set such a high bar (for the most part) for themselves. They would not show a chink in their armor if they had the presence of mind to do so. I just don't know in this case if someone around her should have known she was a danger to that precious little baby boy.

 

[Disguiseduser0308]

It is interesting that so many harken to the Yates' case, it would be interesting to see what medications this woman was taking. We know that Andrea Yates was taking a reuptake inhibitor, I believe Paxil. While millions of Americans take these medications without suicidal or psychotic behavior, almost all of the people who commit these acts are under their influence.

The correlation may not be the PPD, but the medication used to treat it. Just a thought. I took one such drug to quit smoking and did some reading that found shocking information about such behavior associated with these drugs. I would suggest doing some reading on this subject.

I would wonder how many cases such as these took place a fifty years ago, when these drugs were not given to treat PPD.

I am not knocking the drugs because millions find them to be helpful, but there is something strange going on with these cases.

If there were true statistics of PPD/PPP sufferers helped vs harmed by psychiatric medications I think we would have a better grip on whether or not these medications are to blame.

 

[Disguiseduser0308]

That being said, what questions could her doctor have asked that would have led her/him to believe this woman would do what she has done? This goes way beyond the "baby blues" and being weepy. IDK, I don't know that anyone outside her home and family could have had a clue of what went down.

I remember my OB's questionnaires quite vividly. The office used the same form for both my hospital release and my six week check-up. Third question was "Do you have any thoughts of harming yourself or your baby?" If a woman feels safe answering that question honestly, it will open doors for healing.

I feel like a broken record, but this didn't have to happen. Postpartum illness can be cured. With time and lots of support from friends and family.

 

[Fairy1]

I remember my OB's questionnaires quite vividly. The office used the same form for both my hospital release and my six week check-up. Third question was "Do you have any thoughts of harming yourself or your baby?" If a woman feels safe answering that question honestly, it will open doors for healing.

I feel like a broken record, but this didn't have to happen. Postpartum illness can be cured. With time and lots of support from friends and family.

Not sure when your babies were born, but mine are 17 and nearly 20. I don't recall anyone ever asking me any of those questions! And.....I'm sorry to say, as a "Type A" - I would not have admitted I was anything but perfect!

I had mild blues after my first baby and was seriously depressed when I had my second; though I believe that was because my marriage was in distress. But I will say - I NEVER had any violent thoughts directed at my babies.....ever. To this day, I know they were what got me through the worst time of my life. I cherished them then and I cherish them now.

Again, I do not believe this was a case of PPD. This woman has some serious mental and/or drug related issues.

 

[Texana]

For me, this kind of a killing is the absolute definition of insanity. I did not think it was a leap for Yates either. Without knowing this woman's history it is difficult to judge whether she or not she is wired like I am-my guess is no. So, if I believe that is it fair to expect of her what I would expect of my friends, myself, my neighbors when they hit the skids like this? Her family will live forever knowing that they should never have given her this blessed little boy. Eventually, she will know what she did to her son-every day she will have to live and try to make sense of that.

I don't know if it possible-perhaps they would have done her a favor if they had let her die...I mean I cannot fathom the horror.

The neighbors said she seemed a bit "in her own world" which I think, for a 33 year old woman, is not a good thing. I am sure her family never dreamed she could be so violent.

I agree, there is no good ending for this.

 

[Disguiseduser0308]

Not sure when your babies were born, but mine are 17 and nearly 20. I don't recall anyone ever asking me any of those questions! And.....I'm sorry to say, as a "Type A" - I would not have admitted I was anything but perfect!

I had mild blues after my first baby and was seriously depressed when I had my second; though I believe that was because my marriage was in distress. But I will say - I NEVER had any violent thoughts directed at my babies.....ever. To this day, I know they were what got me through the worst time of my life. I cherished them then and I cherish them now.

Again, I do not believe this was a case of PPD. This woman has some serious mental and/or drug related issues.

My babies were born in '02 & '06. I agree, this case isn't PPD (postpartum depression) but imo is likely PPP (postpartum psychosis). They are not the same mood disorder. Here's a list of symptoms for PPP from:

http://www.pregnancy-info.net/postpartum_psychosis.html

Postpartum Psychosis Signs
Although the onset of symptoms can occur at anytime within the first three months after giving birth, women who have postpartum psychosis usually develop symptoms within the first two to three weeks after delivery. Postpartum psychosis symptoms usually appear quite suddenly; in 80% of cases, the psychosis occurs three to 14 days after a symptom-free period.

Signs of postpartum psychosis include:

* Hallucinations
* Delusions
* Illogical thoughts
* Insomnia
* Refusing to eat
* Extreme feelings of anxiety and agitation
* Periods of delirium or mania
* Suicidal or homicidal thoughts

This is one of the biggest symptoms that separates postpartum depression from postpartum psychosis. It was how I learned what I thought was PPD wasn't. The moment your brain goes from sadness and hopelessness to wanting to hurt yourself or your baby you are in a different mood disorder.

ETA:Another quote which I feel is important from the same article.

What Is Postpartum Psychosis?
While it is the most extreme form of postpartum mood disorders, postpartum psychosis is also one of the rarest. Usually described as a period when a woman loses touch with reality, the disorder occurs in women who have recently given birth. It affects between one and two women per 1,000 women who have given birth.

Unfortunately, though many women with the disorder realize something is wrong with them, fewer than 20% actually speak to their healthcare provider. Sadder still is the fact that often postpartum psychosis is misdiagnosed or thought to be postpartum depression, thereby preventing a woman from receiving the appropriate medical attention that she needs.

 

[Disguiseduser0308]

Just sharing some bookmarks I have. This woman's story echoes a lot of women who suffer/suffered from PPP.

http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/2002/feb/postpartum/020218.postpartum.html

 

[4Kat]

I'm sorry, but until all the facts in this case come out, I cannot have any sympathy for this woman. She claims the devil made her do it, she tries to take her own life, but when you see her, sitting up on the gurney, it makes me wonder just how bad she tried to hurt herself.

BTW I have 2 children and have never gone through PPD, maybe I just do not understand. Maybe it's true, is it true in this case? All I see in my mind is a mother, who, in the middle of the night, hears her baby's cries, cannot deal with it, and then deals with it in the most horrendous way known to man.

Yates defense anyone? It's coming!

 

[Annie]

I'm sorry, but until all the facts in this case come out, I cannot have any sympathy for this woman. She claims the devil made her do it, she tries to take her own life, but when you see her, sitting up on the gurney, it makes me wonder just how bad she tried to hurt herself.

BTW I have 2 children and have never gone through PPD, maybe I just do not understand. Maybe it's true, is it true in this case? All I see in my mind is a mother, who, in the middle of the night, hears her baby's cries, cannot deal with it, and then deals with it in the most horrendous way known to man.

Yates defense anyone? It's coming!

This can in no way be compared to depression that many people go through. I don't think people who have never seen anyone with psychosis can understand how bad it can be. I saw a woman suffering from psychosis many years ago and it was scary. In this case the woman's husband had left leaving her to deal with a young baby when she was already having problems. In Andrea Yates case she had just lost her father. I think these losses was the thing that may have pushed an already sick woman into the unbelievable. I think the Yates defense may be the appropriate one in this case. I also think she should be locked up until she is past child bearing years. It is too bad someone didn't recognize how serious her problems were and get help. The baby's father should have gotten help instead of leaving.

 

[LiveLaughLuv]

Police: Woman accused of killing newborn ate brain

By PAUL J. WEBER (AP) – 2 hours ago

SAN ANTONIO — A woman charged with murdering her 3 1/2-week-old son used a knife and two swords to dismember the child and ate parts of his body, including his brain, before stabbing herself in the torso and slicing her own throat, police said Monday.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j65NeeVH5ihfMyvu7qiBZWQBV-kgD99MVMI80

Those policemen to see this gruesome scene, how did they keep it together?

I would have wanted to put a bullet right in her head but that would be too easy a death for this woman...:furious:

 

[CHICANA]

One article says that the aunt was helping mom & took him to her at 1:30 AM.
I wonder how mom was acting at that time or if she said anything. LE said she spent several hours ( I can't say it) which would mean she started right after the aunt left him in her care.
With the way our society seems to be spiralling downward, I wonder if the devil really did make her do it ?
I have to quit reading about this case, it makes me physically sick to my stomach.

 

[s_finch]

It really is up to family to intervene when a new mother is so ill. They knew her best and may have seen signs or changes in her. Unfortunately, there also can be a "snapped" factor that just suddenly arises. In which case, we can't really blame the family. Who knows how they perceived the mother and the dealings with this particular child prior to this horrific incident? There may have been no obvious outward signs of postpartum illness at all.

Snapped is sometimes exactly the case. Let me again mention my aunts case, which was 50 years ago. Other than perhaps some mild OCD traits she had never shown any psychotic traits whatsoever. Her baby was a few days old, my aunt suddenly passed a LARGE amount of afterbirth ( which shouldn't have been the case considering she'd had the baby in the hospital) and for some reason thought she'd just delivered a second (dead?) baby. My aunt grew up on a farm, she knew about birthing, afterbirth, etc... but for some reason she literally snapped. Thank God my grandmother was there at the time and realized my aunt needed immediate help or something could have happened to the baby. TWo years later my aunt had fully recovered and went on to live a healthy productive life, but listened to doctors advice and didn't have anymore children.

Sanchez could have snapped or there could have been signs (apparently she had previous mental illness). What Sanchez isn't is an "animal" and I take issue with the poster who described her as such.

 

[s_finch]

I'm sorry, but until all the facts in this case come out, I cannot have any sympathy for this woman. She claims the devil made her do it, she tries to take her own life, but when you see her, sitting up on the gurney, it makes me wonder just how bad she tried to hurt herself.

BTW I have 2 children and have never gone through PPD, maybe I just do not understand. Maybe it's true, is it true in this case? All I see in my mind is a mother, who, in the middle of the night, hears her baby's cries, cannot deal with it, and then deals with it in the most horrendous way known to man.

Yates defense anyone? It's coming!

Murder might be considered a more "normal" way for this mother to have dealt with a baby (and by the way the don't know the baby was crying when the mom did these things) but decapitating and eating the baby's brain and toes is beyond rage or normal homicidal behaviour. I certainly hope that she receives a Yates defense.

Mental illness is just as real as diabetes, alzheimers, chicken pox, etc... and it will be a good day when everyone realizes this.

 

[Faythe13]

http://www.kens5.com/latestnews/stories/KENS20090726-Baby-Killed-NW-Side.7b68a56a.html?ocp=2


This is a comment that one poster made and it just totally amazed me! I lived in San Antonio while stationed in the Air Force and never came across a neighbor that felt this way. Is this a typical neighbor in this area these days? WTH?

.you don't want the citizens to hold CPS responsible for children falling in the cracks......well if the family members didn't do anything to help out this animal, then how do you expect the community to see the signs of her mental illness?

1. We are not professionals when it comes to the mentally ill, and if citizens taken things into there own hands they can also fall victim to this mentally ill person.

2. I blame CPS, because they are over their head with open cases and still miss handle the department. Get help...train...hire...

3. I was recently informed that CPS workers train new staff and then load them with more cases then they can handle, instead of just starting them off with 8-10 cases its more like 25-50 cases for a new employee, while employees with experience have fewer cases year after year? I would suggest the employees with experience have more cases because they are familiar with the system and are able to see abuse most faster.

4. And if you lived next door, tell us what you would have done if anything......people tend to keep to their own family/business life these days and find themselves too involved with their own career/family to give a crap about anything around them that doesn't effect them personally.
So, if neighbors saw kids out at all hours, why didn't they call the police?

5. And as for the doctors seeing this mother and child, didn't they see some signs? They are doctors? Everyone one wants to blame someone, but no one wants the responsibility to have saved this family from such tragedy.

Mental Illness effects a good protion of Americans. But, we are not aware of the signs, ages it hits, mothers, fathers, children, grandparents.

We need to be made aware...before you suggest we get involved with something that might even cost us our lives.
It seems like 50% of the citizens don't agree with your comments regarding CPS and your thoughts.
If you want HELP then educate the public first.

It's been ages since I posted anything here, but seeing as how this was just a mile or so from where I live I'll weigh in.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/lo...ther_diagnosed_with_depression_psychosis.html

The 33-year-old woman who police said decapitated her infant son and ate parts of his body had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and postpartum psychosis before the slaying at a North Side home this weekend, the family said Monday.


So this sounds like the family KNEW about her condition. That woman should NEVER NEVER NEVER have been left alone with that baby. Maybe she shouldn't have even ever had a baby if she had those type of mental problems (that's another subject entirely, but anyway). Also speaking from personal experience of a friend of mine it really is hard to get someone with mental issues the help they need. My friend was missing for DAYS and when BEGGED the social worker to be committed (after he came to his senses and called me collect) he was turned away at the crisis center here. Why? They said, "You should have been taking your medication, you have a refill, get it filled and come back IF you need to then." It's not easy, but at the same time that family should never have left that woman alone with the baby.

RIP. Scotty.

 

[s_finch]

Police: Woman accused of killing newborn ate brain

By PAUL J. WEBER (AP) – 2 hours ago

SAN ANTONIO — A woman charged with murdering her 3 1/2-week-old son used a knife and two swords to dismember the child and ate parts of his body, including his brain, before stabbing herself in the torso and slicing her own throat, police said Monday.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j65NeeVH5ihfMyvu7qiBZWQBV-kgD99MVMI80

Those policemen to see this gruesome scene, how did they keep it together?

I would have wanted to put a bullet right in her head but that would be too easy a death for this woman...:furious:

Do you feel the same way towards a person with advanced Alzheimers who acts violently and kills another person? Or the same towards a veteran who has PTSD or flashbacks and kills someone?

 

[WhyaDuck?]

Snapped is sometimes exactly the case. Let me again mention my aunts case, which was 50 years ago. Other than perhaps some mild OCD traits she had never shown any psychotic traits whatsoever. Her baby was a few days old, my aunt suddenly passed a LARGE amount of afterbirth ( which shouldn't have been the case considering she'd had the baby in the hospital) and for some reason thought she'd just delivered a second (dead?) baby. My aunt grew up on a farm, she knew about birthing, afterbirth, etc... but for some reason she literally snapped. Thank God my grandmother was there at the time and realized my aunt needed immediate help or something could have happened to the baby. TWo years later my aunt had fully recovered and went on to live a healthy productive life, but listened to doctors advice and didn't have anymore children.

Sanchez could have snapped or there could have been signs (apparently she had previous mental illness). What Sanchez isn't is an "animal" and I take issue with the poster who described her as such.

That WS poster was posting a comment from KENS5, in which one commenter used the word animal. The quote just wasn't distinguished from the rest of the text.

That having been said, we are all "animals," technically. (And it bothers me when people use that term as a pejorative, as we have daily proof on this site that humans can act worse than our animal brethren, particularly when money is involved.)