A Connecticut man set his home ablaze in a desperate bid for freedom after allegedly being held captive and subjected to years of extreme abuse by his stepmother.
Kimberly Sullivan, 56, of Waterbury, Connecticut, was arrested on March 12 and charged with multiple felonies, including kidnapping, assault, and cruelty to persons, after authorities uncovered the horrifying details of her stepson's decades-long confinement.
Emergency responders arrived at a house fire the evening of February 17, where they found a 32-year-old man suffering from smoke inhalation, Daily Voice reported. "I wanted my freedom," he told rescuers, admitting to setting the fire intentionally.
Authorities described his conditions as "severely emaciated," and immediately launched an investigation between the Waterbury Police Department's Major Crimes Unit and State's Attorney's Office.
An investigation revealed that the man—whose identity has not been revealed publicly— had been locked in a room for most of his life, starved, denied medical care, and forced to drink water from the toilet. "I was hungry all day, every day, my entire life," he told detectives, according to the arrest warrant. Sullivan allegedly kept him imprisoned with a slide lock on the outside of his door, only allowing him out for brief periods to do chores.
"The suffering this victim endured for over 20 years is both heartbreaking and unimaginable," Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo said.
Sullivan is being held on a $300,000 bond. The victim is now receiving medical care and support as authorities work to determine his future placement.
