A Connecticut woman has been charged with several offenses after allegedly keeping her stepson captive for 20 years.
Kimberly Sullivan, 56, has been charged with assault, kidnapping, unlawful restraint, cruelty and reckless endangerment.
Sullivan’s attorney, Ioannis Kaloidis, told the Connecticut Post that his client “vehemently” denies the allegations.
Newsweek has contacted Kaloidis and Waterbury Police for further comment via email.
Waterbury Police Department via AP
The Context
First responders rescued the 32-year-old man from an upstairs room after they were despatched to a house fire in Waterbury, Connecticut, on February 17, according to a warrant affidavit for Sullivan’s arrest.
While he was being treated for smoke inhalation, he told police that he had intentionally set the fire using a lighter, hand sanitizer and paper because he “wanted his freedom,” the warrant said.
What to Know
The man, who was not named, was “extremely emaciated, his hair was matted and unkempt, he was very dirty and his teeth all appear to be rotten,” the warrant said.
He told police he had been held captive in the house since he was about 11. Police saw a slide lock on the door frame of the bedroom that could be used to keep the door closed from the outside, the warrant said.
In an interview with police, the man recalled sneaking out of his room as a child to get food because he was hungry, the warrant said. He said that when the wrappings were discovered, he began to be locked in his room in the evenings. He also recalled drinking water from the toilet at times because he was only getting about two cups of water a day.
He said while in school, he was always hungry and would ask others for food, steal their food and sometimes eat out of the garbage.
He told police he was pulled out of school when he was in the fourth grade after the school contacted the Connecticut Department of Children and Families because of his behavior.
The man said he has been locked in a “back storage space” measuring about eight feet by nine feet since he was 12— a space that does not have heat in the winter or air conditioning in the summer, the warrant said. He said he was only let out for brief periods to do chores.
He told police he was forced to urinate in plastic bottles and defecate on his floor using newspaper, the warrant said. He would empty the bottles out of a window and dispose of the waste when he was allowed out to do chores, he said.
He also said his father would sometimes let him out of the room for longer periods to watch television or do yard work with him, but his conditions became worse after his father’s death last year.
What People Are Saying
Waterbury Police said in a statement, according to WFSB: “Detectives determined that the victim had been held in captivity for over 20 years, enduring prolonged abuse, starvation, severe neglect, and inhumane treatment. He was found in a severely emaciated condition and had not received medical or dental care during this time.”
Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Don Therkildsen said, according the Connecticut Post: “The facts of this case, quite frankly, the facts are something out of a horror movie. That’s without exaggeration,”
Sullivan’s attorney, Ioannis Kaloidis, told reporters after her arraignment on Wednesday: “She completely maintains her innocence. From our perspective, these allegations are not true. They are outlandish. I mean, she was blown away when she heard these allegations. She’s adamant they are not true. This did not happen and we look forward to being able to vindicate her and show that she’s done nothing wrong.”
He added: “She’s never locked him in a room. That is absolutely not true. He was not locked in a room. She did not restrain him in anyway. She provided food and she provided shelter.”
What’s Next
Sullivan was arraigned Wednesday and held in lieu of a $300,000 bond.