Child Abuse revealed as a 50-year-old mother confined her 14-year-old twins, keeping them as infants for years in New York.In a seemingly ordinary apartment in the Bronx, New York City, a disturbing secret was quietly unfolding. Neighbors knew something was off about the family living there.
The mother, Lissette Soto Domenech, had always yearned for children. When asked about motherhood, she would sometimes tear up.
At the age of 50, she finally gave birth to twin boys. At first, neighbors celebrated the happy event. The twins had golden hair and seemed healthy and adorable. But within a couple of years, Domenech and her children vanished from public view. 
The Twins’ Hidden Life
The family didn’t move, but they refused to go outside. The apartment doors remained tightly shut, with the father leaving only to buy groceries.
Occasionally, he would chat with neighbors, admitting the children never went out. He said he wanted to keep them home because “the world is too crazy.”
Worried neighbors repeatedly contacted the New York City Administration for Children’s Services. Social workers tried visiting multiple times but were always turned away. Nearly a decade passed with little known about what was happening behind the doors.
Discovery of Abuse
In October last year, the agency received an anonymous tip and returned to the apartment. They called the police on-site. Domenech finally opened the door.
Inside were her two boys. Though they were 14 years old, they looked like 8. Their weights were just 23 and 25.5 kilograms, less than half the average for their age.
Shockingly, they still wore diapers and drank from bottles. The scene, described by neighbors, resembled something out of a horror movie.
The apartment contained no age-appropriate toys or food. Only baby items, bottles, and infant meals were present. Domenech’s psychological obsession kept the children trapped in a perpetual infant state.
Years of Neglect
Investigators learned that Domenech had been confining her children since at least November 2016. She never took them to a doctor. One child developed autism but received no treatment.
In September 2017, she submitted false documents to the Department of Education, claiming her children were homeschooled. This denied them proper schooling and further isolated them.
Neighbors speculated that Domenech’s extreme desire to keep her children small drove her to keep them in this infantile state forever.
Legal Consequences
Domenech now faces 13 charges, including child endangerment, assault, and submitting false information to schools. Her children were rescued and admitted to a hospital for care.
Her husband, unaware of the full scope of his responsibility, recently passed away from cancer. Neighbors revealed that before his death, he had been estranged from Domenech. She reportedly had assaulted him in the hallway and barred him from seeing the children. He was left delivering food and eventually faced bankruptcy, even sleeping in the lobby or his car.
Public Reaction
The case horrified online audiences. Many commenters expressed anger and helplessness.
One wrote, “If we found this family, how many more children might be suffering in silence? It’s disgusting.”
This case, though extreme, is not isolated. Similar incidents have appeared internationally.
Global Comparisons
In Australia, a ballet student faced similar restrictions. Her parents treated her like a child long past childhood. By 17, she was only 147.5 cm tall and weighed 27.3 kilograms—comparable to a 9-year-old. Her nutrition was poor, and her father deliberately altered her age to conceal abuse.
In the United States, Gypsy Rose Blanchard endured life under her mother Dee Dee’s control. Dee Dee suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy, fabricating illnesses to gain sympathy. Gypsy was subjected to unnecessary treatments, forced to appear younger, and lied to about her psychological age. She only escaped abuse in adulthood, taking drastic measures to free herself.
Eight years ago, the Turpin family case revealed extreme child imprisonment. David and Louise Turpin confined their 13 children in filthy conditions, limiting food, hygiene, and education. Some children appeared decades younger than their actual age. Rescued children ranged from 2 to 29 years old, with many unable to communicate properly. They became real-life “giant babies.”
A Harrowing Pattern
These cases reveal the terrifying reality of parental control and abuse. Children, at their most vulnerable, are subjected to extreme harm by those entrusted with their care.
Domenech’s story, while unusual, underscores a universal concern: how many other children suffer in isolation, their lives hidden from the world?
