The man allegedly burned a fire in their home after his stepmother was captured for more than 20 years.
A man in western Connecticut intentionally escaped with his home on fire, and he was allegedly captured by his stepmother for more than 20 years, with little food and no medical services.
Police, firefighters and first responders responded to a report of a house burned in Waterbury on February 17 and found a woman and her 32-year-old stepson at the residence, the Waterbury Police Department said in a statement.
The woman was identified by police as Kimberly Sullivan and was able to evacuate safely, while her stepson (affected by smoke and fire) asked for help from leaving the home, the statement said.
The man was identified by the authorities as “Male Victim 1”. He started the fire with hand sanitizer, printer paper and lighter, according to an arrest warrant filed by the state Superior Court and police affidavit and arrest warrant obtained by CNN Affiliate WFSB.
The affidavit says: “I want my freedom.”
Later investigations by authorities said the man was captured for twenty years, during which time there was extremely limited opportunity for leaving the room without medical or dental care.
The medical records mentioned in the affidavit say the man is about 70 pounds tall at 5 feet 9 inches. One officer described his appearance as “extremely thin” and all his teeth seemed to be rotten.
Sullivan was arrested and appeared in court for arraignment on Wednesday. Police said she faced multiple charges, including assault, kidnapping and cruelty.
Sullivan’s lawyer Ioannis Kaloidis told reporters outside the court Wednesday that it was “absolutely incorrect”.
“He was not locked in the room, she did not restrain him in any way. She provided food, she provided shelter. The allegations shocked her,” he said.
“Ms. Sullivan is considered innocent. The warrant details the allegations that must be proven at trial. My client kept her innocence and looked forward to clearing her name.”
Police said the man has been receiving medical services since his discovery.
The affidavit says he claimed he had been captured by Sullivan since he was about 11 years old.
“The victim suffered more than 20 years of suffering, both heartbreaking and unimaginable,” Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo said in a statement. “This case requires relentless investigation and I commend our officials and the dedication of the Waterbury State Attorney’s Office.”
The affidavit says that in an interview with authorities, the man remembered in his early days secretly enjoying food and drinks from his room at night, sneaking out of his room for hunger.
The affidavit says that when he found out the packaging of the food he was eating, he began to be locked in the room. By the fourth grade, he asked others to provide food, steal food and pick it up from the garbage.
The affidavit said that after the school notified the authorities several times, the state social workers conducted health checks twice. He said Sullivan told him, claiming he was fine.
Eventually, he said that according to the police interview, he was permanently evacuated by his stepmother and allowed to leave his space for housework.
“When asked about the frequency of this routine, he said almost every day,'” the affidavit said.
When he was about 14 or 15 years old, he said he went to the yard with his father to waste it. The affidavit read that it was the last time he left his property. When his father died, what he called imprisonment became more restrictive.
“[The man] It is said that after his father passed away, the only time he left home was to let the dog go out behind the property. It is pointed out that only about 1 minute a day. Essentially, [he] The affidavit says he was locked in his room between 22 and 24 hours a day. ” said the affidavit.
The man said the plywood was secured on both sides of the door to prevent him from leaving the room. The affidavit says the plywood was found by police in a later search warrant at the door.
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