I am providing this statement as a family member who has known
Lissette Soto Domenech and her family throughout my life.
I am not offering expert opinions or medical interpretations.
My intention is to describe personal memories, interactions,
and conditions I directly observed.
In light of the widespread media coverage surrounding
Lissette Soto Domenech, I am sharing my firsthand experiences
as a family member.
From early childhood, Lili was a caring and nurturing presence.
Family members told me that she was the first person I ever smiled at as a
baby, and my first steps were taken with her encouragement.
She was consistently warm, joyful, and affectionate, and she made people feel
welcomed and supported.
Lili was the first person to look for a school and enroll me in my
first school. Her kindness was evident in routine family life through affectionate
gestures, conversation, humor, and inclusion. When my mother was occupied
with household responsibilities, Lili often accompanied
my father and I to age-appropriate outings, including the circus, aquarium,
beach, amusement activities, and medical appointments.
Family gatherings over the years involved normal social interaction and
positive shared experiences.
I also have longstanding memories involving Yossi. Based on my direct
observations during shared outings, Lili and Yossi interacted cooperatively
and positively. They took me to the seaport, shopping
for school clothes, to movies, and to restaurants.
They once shared an album of photographs from one
of their trips aboard. Yossi later developed cancer, a fact known within
the family and community, and he passed away last year in
November 2025 at the age of 72 following his illness.
When Lili’s children were infants, my parents and I visited and stayed
overnight at their apartment.
During these visits, I personally observed calm and attentive interactions,
including singing, playing, feeding, holding, and supervised care of
the children. The babies held my finger while being carried
and fed by their parents. Lili often hosted family sleepovers, and she
and her siblings maintained ongoing family contact.
Lili worked long hours in real estate in a renowned company to
support her household and to purchase apartments.
As I grew older, I continued to see Lili at family gatherings.
Around the time I turned 23, I noticed that Lili was dealing with health
issues. She underwent surgery and experienced other
physical discomforts. These matters affected her energy and limited some
of our visits, though we continued speaking by phone. She did not discuss
her health in detail, but I was aware she was managing
ongoing issues.
Lili often spoke about caring for her children and keeping them healthy.
During the COVID‑19 period, many people everywhere were cautious about
hand washing, especially around children.
Lili often reminded us to wash our hands, which was a common practice at
the time and part of hand hygiene in health education and biology.
When we stayed at her home while the children were
still infants, she reminded us to wash our hands after eating or touching things
that might carry germs. She mentioned that her doctor emphasized keeping
the babies’ environment clean, and I observed her
being careful about that.
It is also common in many households for people to leave their shoes at
the entrance to avoid bringing dirt inside. Lili followed this practice as part of
keeping her home clean.
Disposable diapers are used for hygiene by individuals in a variety of
situations, including perimenopausal or menopausal women, people during
menstruation, those seeking extra cleanliness, and anyone affected by
inadequate toilet facilities, such as low-flush or malfunctioning toilets.
Adults may use bottle-like devices for hydration, nutrition, or hygiene
when traditional methods are impractical.
The children when visiting their grandmother were observed by their
grandmother drinking from regular cups as well as in the hospital they
drank and ate not from baby bottles.
In 2016, when I was briefly in the hospital, Lili called me while
caring for her children. She also spoke with the nurse to ensure I was
receiving proper attention. I remember times in high school when she
picked me up, bought me something to eat, and shared a meal with me.
Lili valued privacy and focused on maintaining stability in her home.
She preferred to avoid neighborhood gossip and maintain boundaries.
Her children played, ran, and shouted as children usually do including
teens.
She faced challenges when Yossi lost his business due to changes in
the market, before he was a well established man.
He later worked jobs available in his area.
This period placed financial pressure on the family.
Lili also faced difficulties as a landlord. She had purchased
two apartments, but the combined costs of maintenance,
mortgage payments, and building fees were significant.
The apartment had building‑related issues, including excessive
heat and a toilet with low water
pressure that made it difficult to flush.
I personally experienced this during my visits.
The children, like many others, enjoyed everyday activities
such as internet studying, reading, writing, art, stuffed toys, listened
to adult singers and sang along, coloring books, and puzzles.
Adults also commonly enjoy items such as stuffed Valentine’s gifts,
video games, collect dolls,
adult coloring books, comic books and puzzles.
These are widely available products used for relaxation,
entertainment, and creativity in many households.
Lili believed she was providing her children with proper meals.
She often purchased food from
places she trusted and made sure they ate regularly.
I recall hearing her encouraging them to finish
their meals because she believed it was healthy and
to eat the meat. At one point, the children stayed
with their grandparents while Lili attended medical
appointments. During that time, family members
bought them toys, shoes, and other necessities.
We also contributed by sending bags of food.
Children, especially teenagers, often experience changes in
appetite when they are going through
stressful or uncertain periods. It is common for them to eat less,
or to become selective and prefer
snacks or less‑nutritious foods instead of regular meals.
Due to household and car expenses, Lili and Yossi tried to
economize, and the family helped
when possible. When Yossi was hospitalized during his
illness, he explained to me the financial
difficulties they were facing. While separated, he stayed in one
of the apartments next to her,
and both he and Lili dealt with challenges, with the family
assisting as needed.
I was informed that authorities reviewed the situation three
times and did not find evidence of abuse.
Throughout the years, I saw Lili make efforts to care for her
children, maintain her home, and manage
her responsibilities despite personal and financial difficulties.
To reiterate, my intention in providing
this statement is to share the experiences I personally observed
and to offer accurate context based on
my role as a family member.
The children were not confined for consecutively nine years.
They left the home for activities including
zoo visits, doctor visit, haircut, and meals and going to the park
with relatives such as their uncle and
grandparents. They socialized with other adults and children,
and I personally spoke with them by
phone and brought them playing cards, as did other
family members. Both children socialized with
family members and spoke. They also ate food which Lili
considered beneficial for their nutrition.
Our family members and ancestry come from many regions of
the world including Europe, Asia, Africa,
Latin America, and the Middle East, etc…and relatives
vary naturally in physique and varied heights.
The building contains a garbage chute that can produce odors;
when Yossi was undergoing cancer
treatment, my father assisted by removing garbage from
Lili’s apartment. Lili homeschooled her
teenagers and emphasized education, though she was not
familiar with the administrative steps
required by the city.
She studied in well reputed schools, had a good academic
background and in socializing, they
respected her for her commitment to studies.
Both Lili and Yossi supported my own education,
including helping me obtain college books.
From my firsthand experiences with Lissette and her children,
I did not observe behavior that suggested
abuse or harmful intent,
and I am prepared to provide additional information if needed.
_______________________
Cleopatra Fitzgerald
Family member
Independent journalist
Contact:
Email: atyourmail@gmail.com
iPhone: 1-347-899-5460
