"Kept as Babies Forever": Mother Accused of Locking Up 14-Year-Old Twin Sons in Diapers and Bottles for 9 Years

Confined at Home for Nine Years
Found in a State of Severe Malnutrition
Mother Indicted on 13 Charges

In the United States, a woman in her 60s has been indicted on charges of confining her 14-year-old twin sons in her home for nine years and leaving them in a state of severe malnutrition.

According to the New York Post on January 22 (local time), Lisette Soto Domenech, 64, who lives in a co-op apartment in the Riverdale area of the Bronx, New York, kept her twin sons completely isolated from the outside world and did not send them to school. Neighbors, suspicious about the children's condition, reported the situation to the New York City Administration for Children's Services (ACS) multiple times, but authorities failed to intervene for a long period.

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One of Domenech's neighbors said, "This horrifying truth should have come to light much earlier," adding, "I contacted ACS 10 years ago, but nothing was done. Someone did not do their job properly."

The case came to public attention on October 5 last year. On that day, ACS and the police entered the apartment and found two extremely emaciated 14-year-old boys who appeared no older than 8 due to their small size. The rescued twins weighed approximately 23 kg and 24.5 kg each, less than half the normal weight for their age.

According to prosecutors, the apartment contained only baby cereal, bottles, and infant toys, with no food, books, or clothing appropriate for teenagers. One of the boys was found to be on the autism spectrum but had received no proper medical care or education.

It was reported that Domenech, who had children later in life, wanted her twins to remain babies forever. She adopted abnormal parenting practices, such as putting diapers on the boys and feeding them with bottles. Domenech also falsely reported that she had been homeschooling the children since 2017. There were reportedly no hospital records for the boys for several years. The twins were immediately taken to a children's hospital upon discovery, received about three months of treatment, and are currently recovering in a care facility.

Neighbors testified that even before giving birth to the twins, Domenech desperately wanted to have babies and could not accept the children growing up. One resident said, "She wanted to keep the children as babies forever. She didn't want to lose them." Investigators are also focusing on the possibility that Domenech deliberately isolated the children from society to keep them in a 'perpetual infant state.'

Meanwhile, Yosef Green, identified as the boys' father, used to deliver food to the apartment but was gradually denied entry and reportedly died of cancer while struggling with financial hardship. Some neighbors claimed that Domenech was violent toward her husband and eventually kicked him out of the house.

Domenech has been indicted on 13 charges, including child endangerment, assault, and submitting false documents. She has been released on bail of $25,000 (about 36 million won) and is awaiting trial.