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The family of Yanet Soto Castellanos, a woman from the Isle of Youth facing mental health issues, has been searching for her whereabouts in Havana for weeks, where she is reportedly with her newborn baby, without any response from the authorities.
The case was publicly reported to journalist Alberto Arego, who was contacted this Monday by Yanet's uncle, Hipólito Scull, to request assistance.
"I am reaching out to you again because my niece Yanet Soto Castellanos left the Isle of Youth for Havana, and we have lost contact with her again," Hipólito told the journalist.
"My concern is that she has mental health issues and is carrying a baby in her arms, and the family fears for the well-being of both." she added.
Yanet gave birth on April 4 at the Ramón González Coro Gyneco-Obstetric Hospital, in Vedado.
The family learned about the birth on Monday, April 6, at 8:00 p.m., and when they went to the hospital the next day, Yanet had already been discharged hours earlier, with the staff unaware of where she had gone.
"At the hospital, they discharged him, but they don't know where to," Hipólito recounted.
In the face of desperation, the family embarked on an institutional journey that highlighted the indifference of the Cuban authorities. Hipólito first went to the Public Health Department of the Cotorro municipality, where an official identified as Yadira, responsible for PAMI, "didn't give much importance" to the case and referred him to the National Revolutionary Police (PNR).
The mother of Yanet, Tayasmary, traveled from the Isle of Youth to join the search. Together they returned to the González Coro Hospital, where the vice director and the civil registry staff provided support and guided them to the Zapata police station.
At that police station, the family arrived at 11:30 a.m. and was not attended to until 8:18 p.m., after a wait that included a break for lunch. The officers asked them to return the next day with an updated photo of Yanet.
On April 20, they presented the photograph and informed them that the case would be investigated. Three days later, an unidentified officer called to ask if the family had located Yanet on their own, without providing any new information.
This pattern of inefficiency in response to reports of disappearances is not new in Cuba. A young woman from Villa Clara disappeared in March 2026 and her family also reported the lack of response from the PNR.
In 2024, a young mother and her baby disappeared in Mayarí, Holguín, in a case with similar characteristics.
In all these episodes, the dissemination through social media and independent media has been the main driver of search efforts in the absence of official mechanisms for reporting disappearances.
Yanet's family has authorized the publication of photos and contact numbers to request citizen assistance. Anyone with information can reach out to Tayasmary, her mother, at 51796041; to Hipólito, her uncle, at 56137540; or to Yoandri, also her uncle, at 55584576.
"My sister says she can publish all the photos and phone number so that anyone who can help can contact us," concluded Hipólito Scull.
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