A Connecticut woman has been arrested after a man identifying himself as her stepson told police he set a fire at their house to escape after she held him captive for 20 years.
Kimberly Sullivan, 56, was taken into police custody on Wednesday and charged with first-degree assault, second-degree kidnapping, first-degree unlawful restraint, cruelty to persons, and first-degree reckless endangerment, according to a Facebook post from the Waterbury Police Department.
“The suffering this victim endured for over 20 years is both heartbreaking and unimaginable,” Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo said in a statement. “This case required relentless investigative effort, and I commend the dedication of our officers and the Waterbury State’s Attorney’s Office. Their unwavering commitment ensured that justice is served, and the perpetrator is held fully accountable for these horrific crimes.”
On February 17, around 8:42 p.m., Waterbury police and fire personnel responded to a report of a house fire. Sullivan, the owner of the property, was able to escape on her own, while the second occupant — her unidentified 32-year-old stepson — was rescued by firefighters and given medical treatment after suffering burns and smoke inhalation. While he was receiving medical treatment, the man told first responders that he set the fire using printer paper as kindling and hand sanitizer for fuel, CNN reported.
The man added that he had been kept prisoner by his stepmother since he was around 11 years old — for about 20 years.
“I wanted my freedom,” he reportedly told police.
After the man made his claims, police investigated, and said evidence showed that the man had suffered “prolonged abuse, starvation, severe neglect, and inhumane treatment.”
The man reportedly weighed just 68 pounds, according to WFSB-TV 3, citing a warrant. CNN added that the man allegedly survived on two sandwiches a day and two cups of water while he was locked in a storage space with both sides of the door secured with plywood. He was locked in from the outside, the outlet added.
The man also was allegedly pulled out of school in the fourth grade and hadn’t been allowed to leave the house since he was 14 or 15 years old.
An arrest warrant for Sullivan was issued on March 11 and she was taken into custody the next day.
“He lit a fire with some hand sanitizer, some paper from a printer, and he lit that fire while he was locked in that room from the outside. He lit that fire very well knowing he could die, but he had been locked in the room for 20 years, and for 20 years he’d been trying to get out of that room,” prosecutors said during Sullivan’s arraignment on Tuesday, according to WFSB-TV 3.
Ioannis A. Kaloidis, Sullivan’s attorney, told reporters outside the courtroom that the claims against his client were false and “outlandish.”
“She was blown away when she heard these allegations,” the lawyer said. “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 that the “allegations seemed to be based on the words of one individual and one individual alone.”
Sullivan’s bond was set at $300,000, according to People Magazine, and she is currently being held by the Connecticut Department of Corrections.
