I have read a bit about her history, and the only indication that her mental illness affected her childcare was an accusation of neglect--not abuse--that social workers decided was resolved and that any neglect issues were solved. Her husband called 911 AFTER she went crackers on the phone with him, not the night before he left or the day before they talked. She called up AFTER chopping the kid's arms off.
I'm not saying that the dad DOESN'T feel guilty and responsible. But I will be the first, maybe the only person here, to say he SHOULDN'T. When someone else does something horrible, you are not personally responsible for it. The Columbine parents aren't responsible for their kids going loopy. Andrea Yates' husband isn't responsible for her murders. They might FEEL that way. Their victims want to act that way, because the perpetrators are dead, of course, and there's no one else to project blame upon. But the criminals are those who committed the acts.
Anyone else is a victim, both in the sense that they have been robbed of the criminal's companionship by their illegal act and subsequent punishment, and of liberal 'root cause' theory. That theory, long disproven, says that criminals don't commit crimes--it's their environment that does it. And folks who want to blame the husband are falling prey to it.
They are not, I agree, responsible first hand for the murders of record; however in all cases there were warning signs which were overlooked.
The agency (CPS) has argued that the girls' father, John Schlosser, failed to protect his children from their mother, who told him the night before the killings that she wanted to give her children to God, according to court records."
Schlosser also was treated for postpartum depression-fact. David Haynes said Schlosser was mentally ill at the time..mentally ill the day of the crime and not mentally ill the day before? Repeating scriptures over and over the day of the crime and not seen as obsessed on the days before?
I guess I don't hold blame but on the murderer[s]at fault. But when you live close to someone I find it difficult that signs do not present themselves in some form or other should a family member or friend want to admit to possible red flags before such a horrific murder results.
Even the person or persons who commit such heinous acts have a responsibility to seek help and not cover up their suspected mental illnesses or overwhelming fixations on doing harm to another or others. Often a family member with a closed eye is embarrassed for the sake of the family and chooses to hide the suspicions readily apparent; never imagining with this person or persons in question would be capable of such vicious acts.
I guess the question is always in hindsight could one have done something to prevent the criminal outcome. But what do I know, just one person's opinion from questions that fly to mind.