Helena Matsunaga, the daughter of Elize Matsunaga, is now about 15 and is in the care of her late father's family. Her mother, convicted of his murder, has not seen her since 2012.
Elize shot and dismembered Marcos Matsunaga in 2012 after suspecting he was cheating. The couple met through an escort service and married, but their relationship was turbulent. After hiring a private investigator, Elize confronted him, shot him, and disposed of his body.
Sentence and parole
After confessing, Elize was sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison, later reduced to 16 years in 2019. Since 2022, she has been on parole, serving the rest of her sentence in the community under strict regulations.
From prison, Elize wrote letters to her daughter, including one before Helena's fifth birthday: “I would face anything to see your smile again. To see you at peace, to hear at least once the word ‘mother,’ so short, but which makes my heart tremble just imagining it.”
Custody and reunion question
Helena is in the care of Marco's family, who have full custody. MathiasTV echoed reports that her grandfather would not prevent a reunion, but only once Helena turns 18 and can decide for herself.
During a temporary release from prison in 2021, Elize stood with a sign reading “My daughter, I will love you beyond life,” according to The Cinemaholic.
Elize: Shadows of a Woman, a dramatisation of the case, is currently topping Netflix's Top 10 chart. Elize previously spoke out in the documentary Once Upon a Crime.
