A Connecticut woman has been arrested for allegedly holding her "severely emaciated" stepson in captivity at their home for over 20 years, since he was 11 years old, and forcing him to endure "prolonged abuse, starvation, severe neglect, and inhumane treatment," police said. "It's truly horrifying and beyond comprehension what occurred here. The young man's unimaginable suffering over the course of two decades is just a reminder of the darkness that does exist in our world," Waterbury Mayor Paul Pernerewski said at a press conference Thursday. The now-32-year-old man was 5-foot-9 and just 68 pounds when he was found, according to officials.
A day after police arrested a woman in Waterbury, Connecticut, who is accused of holding her stepson captive for 20 years and depriving him of food, investigators are revealing more information about a case that the police chief called the “worst treatment in humanity" that he has seen in his decades of law enforcement. The victim, who is now 32 years old, weighs only 68 pounds and has a lot of healing to do, officials said. The investigation started when police and firefighters responded to a fire at home on Blake Street in Waterbury in February. Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo said firefighters and police officers who responded to the fire “immediately realized there were some grave concerns about some of the conditions in the house.”
The woman, identified by Waterbury police as 56-year-old Kimberly Sullivan, was arrested Wednesday following an extensive investigation into her stepson’s shocking claims. Waterbury police and fire officials responded to reports of an active fire at a residence on Blake Street on the evening of Feb. 17. Police said two occupants were inside the home at the time – Sullivan and her 32-year-old stepson. Sullivan was able to evacuate safely. Fire officials assisted her stepson out of the home and placed him in the care of EMS because he had suffered smoke inhalation and exposure to the fire. The stepson told police he intentionally set fire to the upstairs room, stating: "I wanted my freedom." He alleged that Sullivan had held him captive since he was 11 years old.
