The biological mother of a Connecticut man, who police say was held captive by his stepmom for 20 years before making a daring escape, said she is proud of him for springing himself free, according to a report.
The woman, who asked not to be named, told NBC News that she had been searching for her son for years. The 52-year-old woman said the stepmom, Kimberly Sullivan, 56, can "rot in hell" for what she did.
Sullivan faces several charges including second-degree kidnapping and intentional cruelty to a person for allegedly imprisoning her stepson from the age of 11. At the age of 32, the man, who was severely malnourished and dehydrated, escaped his prison by starting a fire.
"I wanted my freedom," he told first responders, according to the Waterbury Police department.
Police investigated and "determined that the victim had been held in captivity for over 20 years, enduring prolonged abuse, starvation, severe neglect, and inhumane treatment," police stated.
The man's biological mother said that she had given up custody of him when he was a baby. She told NBC News she spent decades trying to find him.
"My sister actually called me while I was at work, and she had stated we found [her son]. We found him," the woman told NBC News. "I'm heartbroken. I still just can't fathom it. How can anybody treat somebody like that?"
The victim's half-sister told NBC that she had searched the internet for the man once she knew he was an adult, but the searches were in vain.
"I just want him to know that he has a big sister, and I've always known he's existed, and I've always loved him, and I've always been trying to find him. I've been looking for him for over a decade. I wanted to wait till he was 18. I'm almost 35 now. And ... there was nothing. No social media, no court records, no ancestry information, nothing," the half-sister told NBC.
