New details emerge in the shocking story of a 32-year-old Connecticut man being captured in a single room by his father and stepmother for 20 years.
Kimberly Sullivan, 56, was arrested Wednesday almost a month after Waterbury police and firefighters responded to the fire on February 17th by a man lit up.
While receiving medical care after the fire, the 32-year-old said he had been taken prisoner at his home since he was 11.
“I wanted my freedom,” he told First Responder.
Police took Kimberly Sullivan on Wednesday and faced charges of cruelty and allegedly raising his 32-year-old son-in-law for more than 20 years. (Waterbury Police Station via the AP)
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The Waterbury Police Department's main crime unit and the Waterbury State Attorney's Office have launched an extensive investigation that found the man endured long-term abuse, starvation, serious neglect and inhumane treatment, according to a department statement.
Subsequent arrest warrant revealed that the man was locked up in a room nearly 24 hours a day, the Associated Press reported.
He was also offered daily two sandwiches, two sandwiches and two bottles of water, according to the report.
Kim Sullivan, who was charged with neglect, is standing with her attorney Ionis Kaloyd during her arrest Wednesday at Waterbury Superior Court in Waterbury, Connecticut. (via Jim Shannon/Hearst Connecticut Media, AP, pool)
When he was found, the man weighed only 69 pounds and was standing at 5 feet 9, reported the AP. With no access to the bathroom, he leaked the waste through a straw that led to the window.
Police pointed out that while still attending school, the man was starving, often stealing food and eating out of the trash, according to the report. When he eats, his teeth break due to a lack of dental treatment.
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Sullivan has been arrested and charged with first-degree assault, and is in the second-degree lure, first-degree unlawful detention, atrocities on people, first-degree reckless danger.
Kimberly Sullivan has been accused of the crime and cruelty of allegedly capturing his 32-year-old son-in-law for more than 20 years. (Waterbury Police Station via the AP)
Her bond was set at $300,000 and was later released by the Connecticut Department of Corrections.
Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagrolo called the suffering to be tormented by “being heartbreaking and unimaginable.”
Authorities were investigating how the man fell through the crack as a child, Spagnolo told Associated Press that he had only two interactions with his family in 2005.
Police responded to reports of a fire at their 2 Break Street residence in Waterbury, Connecticut. (Google Maps)
One call was a welfare check prompted by a report from a classmate. The report said another after filing a harassment complaint against school officials over the family's report to school officials.
The executive pointed out that there was no cause for concern, Spagnolo told the Associated Press.
The Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF) said it continues to search for records of agency involvement. However, unfounded reports of negligence or abuse will be erased five years after the investigation is finished.
Kim Sullivan is standing between lawyers Jason Spilka and Ioannis Kaloyd on the left at Waterbury Superior Court in Waterbury, Connecticut, during her arrest Wednesday. (via Jim Shannon/Hearst Connecticut Media, AP, pool)
“We are shocked and saddened by the victim and the indescribable condition he endured,” the department said in a statement to the Associated Press. “The current adult victims have shown incredible strength and resilience during this healing period, and our hearts are headed towards him.”
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Tom Pannone, former principal of Defunct Barnard Elementary School in Waterbury, said an NBC Connecticut administrator reported alleged abuse to police and “no damn thing was done.”
The Waterbury Police Department, Waterbury Public Schools and Connecticut DCF did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment Thursday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
