Connecticut woman arrested for holding stepson captive for 20 years
A Connecticut woman, Kimberly Sullivan, 56, was arrested after being accused of keeping her stepson captive for two decades.
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The man who police say was held captive in his Connecticut home for more than two decades is speaking out, saying in a public statement on Tuesday that he is “much better and stronger” after his rescue.
Kimberly Sullivan, 56, was arrested in March after Waterbury police said she held her 32-year-old stepson in captivity and subjected him to “prolonged abuse, starvation, severe neglect, and inhumane treatment.” She has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree assault, second-degree kidnapping, first-degree unlawful restraint, cruelty to persons and first-degree reckless endangerment.
The stepson, who identified himself only as S, said in the statement that he was “choosing a new name for himself.”
“Please call me ‘S.’ This is not the name given to me by my parents when I was born … I will use that name as I reclaim control over my life and my future,” the man said in a statement posted on Facebook by his representation, David Gaurino of Survivors Say.
Safe Haven of Greater Waterbury set up a GoFundMe to help S with medical and dental care, as well as legal fees and housing expenses.
Here’s what else S had to say.
S: ‘I am much better and stronger’
In the statement posted on Facebook, the man said he was a survivor of more than two decades of abuse after being taken out of school in the fourth grade when he was 11 and held against his will until he was 32.
He was freed by firefighters after he managed to set his house on fire back in February.
While being treated, the stepson told first responders that he intentionally set the fire in his upstairs room using a lighter, hand sanitizer and paper, stating: “I wanted my freedom,” police said.
“I am speaking out today to begin the process of reclaiming my life and to have my say in how my story is told,” he said in Tuesday’s statement. “I am much better and stronger than I was the day the first responders carried me out of my home.”
Photos: Disarray in Connecticut home where police say woman held stepson captive
Police: A long time of abuse
Waterbury police’s investigation determined that the stepson was found in a “severely emaciated condition” and had not received medical or dental care throughout his captivity, the department said. Investigators also concluded that the man had been given “minimal amounts of food and water,” which contributed to him being extremely malnourished, police said.
According to an arrest warrant obtained by USA TODAY, upon exiting the home, the stepson’s hair was matted, “he was very dirty,” and all of his teeth were rotten. The stepson told police officers that Sullivan was able to keep him locked inside his bedroom because there was a lock on the outside of his door, the warrant continued.
In Tuesday’s statement, S said that “much has already been said that tells part of the story of the abuse I endured.”
“Someday, perhaps my whole story will be told.”
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
