Diksha Sundriyal
In Netflix’s ‘Elize: Shadows of a Woman,’ a woman murders her husband in their apartment and then dismembers his body in the bathroom. That is horrifying as is, but the whole situation becomes even more morbid when it turns out that she did all this with her infant daughter in the house. What unfolds is the story of the culprit, Elize, from her humble beginnings to her struggles to make ends meet and a romance whose happy ending is soured by an affair. In all of this, Elize’s child seems to take a back seat, but her presence is felt strongly in every action the protagonist takes. In real life as well, Elize claimed that her intentions were influenced by her love for her daughter, Helena. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Helena Matsunaga’s Custody was Given to Her Paternal Grandparents
Elize Matsunaga had allegedly been on the brink of asking for a divorce from her husband, Marcos, when she got pregnant. A couple of years into their marriage, they had been trying to have a child. So, when the happy news finally arrived, both decided to set aside their differences and move forward to raise their child together. They welcomed their daughter Helena in 2011. Since Elize had had a turbulent childhood, she didn’t want the same thing for her daughter. According to her court testimony and biographical accounts, she claimed her own father had abandoned her when she was 3 and that she was later abused by her stepfather. This is why she felt it was important for her daughter to have her father in her life, and that kept Elize from seeking a divorce.
However, things didn’t stay well. During her trial, Elize testified that she had hired a private investigator and discovered that Marcos was seeing an escort she described as Nathalia. She claimed that when she confronted him, he threatened to take full custody of their daughter. The idea of being separated from Helena allegedly led Elize to pull the trigger and kill her husband. Soon, she was arrested, and with her going to prison, the question of her daughter’s guardianship was raised. Elize was raised by her grandmother and aunt, and she wished that they could raise her daughter. However, the court granted the custody to Marcos’ parents, Mitsuo and Misako Matsunaga, instead. Helena has since lived with them in an upscale neighborhood in western São Paulo.
The court also restricted her from seeing or contacting her daughter, and the Matsunagas agreed with this approach. Over the years, they have been adamant about keeping Helena away from Elize for the child’s own sake. They have also kept her out of the public eye and have even gone to court to ensure that her photos and other details are not discussed by the media or any other public forum. The only time the girl seems to have been in danger is when four robbers broke into the Matsunaga house and stole several expensive items. Helena and her grandparents were left uninjured, but it would have been a jarring experience, understandably. Apart from this, her name has not come up in the media spotlight, and she seems to have been living a safe and happy life with her family.
Helena is Aware of the Truth About Her Parents
Helena was barely one year old when Elize killed Marcos. When she was given into the custody of her grandparents, they decided not to share the brutal truth about her parents with her just yet. She grew up believing that Mitsuo and Misako Matsunaga were her parents. Eventually, however, when she was old enough to understand, they told her the truth. Now, even though she knows they are her grandparents, she continues to call them mom and dad. The family was approached by author Ullisses Campbell, while he was working on his book, ‘Elize Matsunaga: The Woman Who Dismembered Her Husband.’ According to him, Helena, now a teenager, expressed a desire to reconnect with her birth mother, whom she has not seen since Elize was arrested.
However, her grandparents have not allowed her to do so yet. According to the author, Mitsuo said that Helena will be free to make her own decisions, including about her birth mother, when she turns 18. At that point, she will receive her father’s inheritance, which she can use to do whatever she wants and go anywhere in the world. This is when she will be out of their care and be legally free to make her own decisions. Until then, she has to abide by their rules. Allegedly, the Matsunagas once filed a lawsuit to have Elize’s name legally removed from Helena’s documents. It is not clear what the result of that lawsuit was, but it suggests that they remain steadfast in their belief to keep their granddaughter away from the woman who murdered their son.
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Elize Has Not Reunited With Helena Yet
Over the years, there have been all sorts of questions and theories about what actually happened between Elize and Marcos and why she killed him. In her confession to the cops, Elize says that it was a result of an escalated argument and happened in the heat of the moment. While many continue to ask her questions about the crime, she believes that the only person she owes the truth and answers to is her daughter. Unfortunately, she has not been able to see her just yet. While in prison, Elize was unable to speak to her daughter, so she wrote a book. Titled ‘Picnic in Hell,’ it details everything about her life, her marriage, the murder, and her time in prison. She wishes to give this book to Helena someday. During her temporary release from prison in 2021, she stood by with a sign that read “My daughter, I will love you beyond life.”
She knew that a camera person would catch it, and she hoped the message would somehow find its way to her daughter. She also claimed that the only reason she decided to speak with the creators of the Netflix documentary, ‘Elize Matsunaga: Once Upon a Crime,’ was so that, when her daughter watches it, she would hear her mother’s version of events. When she was released on parole in 2022, one of the conditions she had to abide by was not to contact her daughter, and she has followed the directive. However, with Helena turning 18 in a couple of years, there is a possibility that the girl might wish to see her mother, and this time, Elize will finally get to meet her for the first time since the day she was sent to prison.
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