(A texas mother hanged her 4 kids (3 died, the 8mo. old survived miraculously) and then herself in a little town west of ft. worth texas)

Less than five years earlier, another Hudson Oaks family was torn apart when Dee Etta Perez, 39, shot her three children, ages 4, 9 and 10, before killing herself.

Andrea Yates drowned her five children in the family's Houston bathtub in 2001. In 2003, Deanna Laney beat her two young sons to death with stones in East Texas, and Lisa Ann Diaz drowned her daughters in a Plano bathtub. Dena Schlosser fatally severed her 10-month-old daughter's arms with a kitchen knife in 2004.

All four of those women were found innocent by reason of insanity. Yates initially was convicted of capital murder, but that verdict was overturned on appeal.

Anyone have any ideas why texas mothers in particular seem prone to killing their kids?

I figure that the weather has got to have something to do with it. Up here in Toronto the rate of violent crimes skyrockets when summertime rolls around. And I know that when I am really hot and sweaty I feel mean enough to kick my cat or do worse things....!:tired I hate heat!!:eek: It drives me crazy! :confused: I heard that it is always hot in Texas.:rolleyes

I live in Indiana- a few months ago we had a mother kill her 4 children and we live in a small town. Here is the link and it does give some stats in it as well as other states it has happened in it. No other state or place in the world is exempt from this tradegy. Society has really gone down hill-- wonder what will be left for my children and grandchildren WNDU - Home

I live in Indiana- a few months ago we had a mother kill her 4 children and we live in a small town. Here is the link and it does give some stats in it as well as other states it has happened in it. No other state or place in the world is exempt from this tradegy. Society has really gone down hill-- wonder what will be left for my children and grandchildren WNDU - Home

I disagree. I don't think that society has gone downhill. I think that it appears to have gone downhill and this is because of the new style of media coverage. Back in the old days, the 60s, 70s, and even the 80s, we didn't have the same degree of media attention given to these sort of gruesome and tragic events. We did not have such television shows as A&E's array of series covering true murders in America. We didn't have the murder specials which air on the major networks and we didn't have internet. The truth is that the media has discovered that we have quite an appetite for this material and they pander to this appetite. But make no mistake, there have always been people who have behaved in a monstrous fashion. These days they just get their 15 minutes of fame is all.

I have to agree. Society hasn't gone downhill - especially for the poor. Have any of you read accounts of what life was like for the poor and unprotected in the mid to late 19th century (like 1850 to 1990) in places like New York and Chicago - absolutely deplorable.

The difference is now we can see those faces and hear their story. 50 yrs ago if some Mom flipped out and killed all her kids the only people rocked by the story was her community - her city. Now the whole nation hears about it. It gives the impression that child murder, poverty, molestation, etc are more common.

I don't think that those things are in fact more common - just more widely reported due to advancing technology and 24 hour news.

Hi, I agree with Green on this. I find media outlets like the Fox News Channel try to bump up their ratings by blanket coverage of tragic events such as the whole Laci Peterson story. That is so crass and offensive to me. The Fox News Channel is appauling in general though I must say. It also has an Australian at the helm in Rupert Murdoch, although he is now an American citizen even though he is Australian born and raised.

Fair and balanced? More like unfair and biased.

Susannah