A 32-year-old man from Waterbury, CT in the hands of his stepmother, Kimberly Sullivan, after father passed away last year, was held captive in a home for two decades periods. The victim’s suffering started at the age of 11 and came out after he set the house on fire as a plan to escape.
He starved in a pest-infested room, low on essentials like food and water, and barely made it to survival in his family house. When rescued, he weighed only 68 pounds and had suffered almost every sign of cruelty that you can imagine.
His biological mother recalls much pride in her son’s courage to escape, but does feel lost and broken concerning all those years that he suffered NBC News covered at the scene, stating that she and her daughter, unaware of what he was going through, his real mother had searched for him for years.
The town neighborhood was shocked, with some saying it was like it’s from a “horror movie.” The house remained unnoticed despite a bad appearance and several repair signs. Now, the residents are struggling with the knowledge that this sort of horror occurred so close to home.
An online fundraiser arranged by Safe Haven of Greater Waterbury has raised over $112,000 from more than 2,000 supporters for the victim’s aid. The funds will help in his medical and dental care, therapy, housing, living expenses, and legal fees as he sets off on the long road of restoring his life.
The incident has drawn fire against the Connecticut Department of Children and Families for not protecting him after their repeated investigations revealed very obvious signs of lack of nutrition during his childhood. An demanded immediate accountability and improvement within DCF’s protocol to eliminate recurrence of such failures in the future.
Kimbery Sullivan, age 56, was arrested and charged with several crimes, namely first degree assault, second degree kidnapping, and cruelty to persons. She denies the whole case with her lawyer claiming that she is “stunned” by these allegations and maintains her innocence. Sullivan was released on a $300,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on March 26th.
This awful case has revealed a disheartening series of failures and glories of the human spirit, which have called for both the community and authorities to ponder on how such prolonged abuse could pass unnoticed and unaddressed for so long. 
