Newly revealed photos from the house of horrors, where a Connecticut woman allegedly kept her stepson captive for 20 years, shine a light on the victim's disturbing living conditions.
The accused stepmother denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to the said act at an arraignment on March 28.
A house fire in Connecticut revealed the decades-long captivity of a 32-year-old man
Highlights
- The new photos shared by the police show the inside of the “house of horrors” where a mom allegedly kept her stepson captive for two decades.
- The 32-year-old man shared that he was forced to live on little food and water during his captivity in the house.
- The accused woman denied all charges against her and is currently out on bail.
Image credits: https://www.wtbypd.org/
On March 12, a harrowing story broke out in Waterbury, Connecticut. According to the details shared by the police on WFSB-TV 3, a house fire in the neighborhood revealed the tragic captivity of an unnamed 32-year-old man.
The victim was taken out of school and forced to live on little food and water as a captive in a tiny space for over 20 years by his stepmother, Kimberly Sullivan. The man told the police that he started the fire as it was his only chance to escape his inhumane living conditions, saying, “I wanted my freedom.”
The man’s stepmother was arrested and charged with multiple offenses against him
Image credits: https://www.wtbypd.org/
The 56-year-old stepmother was arrested and charged with assault, unlawful restraint, cruelty to persons, and reckless endangerment.
CT Post reported that Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Don Therkildsen said, “The facts of this case, quite frankly, the facts are something out of a horror movie. That’s without exaggeration.”
The victim weighed only 68 pounds (about 30 kg) when the police found him
Image credits: https://www.wtbypd.org/
According to the Waterbury Police Department, the victim was found “in a severely emaciated condition and had not received medical or dental care” and weighed only 68 pounds (about 30 kg).
The investigation revealed that while the man was missing from the outside world, he endured “prolonged ab*se, starvation, severe neglect, and inhumane treatment.”
The victim was pulled from school when he was just nine or 10 and had no outside contact with anyone else other than his late father, stepmother, two half sisters, and his late grandmother.
Disturbing photos from inside the house reveal the sickening conditions the man was made to live in
Image credits: https://www.wtbypd.org/
And now, with Sullivan out on bail, the Waterbury Police Department has shared disturbing photos from inside the house where the man was forced to spend his life.
The house appears cluttered and messy in the photos, with older furnishings that have clearly been affected by the recent fire. There are also piles of junk scattered around the house.
The sinister locks on the doors suggest that there might be even more to the story
Image credits: https://www.wtbypd.org/
Among the photos, a lock is seen on a tiny room’s door, which is possibly the space where the man was kept. However, since multiple rooms have locks on the doors, it could paint a darker image of the alleged ab*ser.
Online users have also wondered if the stepmother locked up other family members, too. One Redditor asked, “There appears to be locks on multiple different doors in these photos. I wonder if Kim and her husband would keep her daughters.”
They later added, “Holy sh*t, I think Kim kept her husband confined, too….Terrifying, twisted stuff. Seems like Kim abused them all, in one way or another.”
Not allowed to use the bathroom, the man was forced to urinate and defecate in his tiny living space
Image credits: https://www.wtbypd.org/
The areas where Sullivan possibly lived appeared tidier and cleaner, contrasting with the horrible conditions the victim was allegedly made to live in.
According to the man’s claims, he was not allowed entry to the bathroom and was forced to urinate and defecate in his living chambers using a bottle and newspapers.
Former teachers of the victim shared that he would regularly try to eat from trash bins
Image credits: https://www.wtbypd.org/
The victim’s former teachers have come forward to share tragic details that support his claims: that he would regularly try to eat from trash bins during his time at school.
The man said he would be given only two cups of water a day and was sometimes forced to drink out of the toilet to quench his thirst. He was only allowed out of his room to do chores for Sullivan inside the house.
He was afraid he would lose the minimal food and little freedom he had if he tried to escape
Image credits: https://www.wtbypd.org/
The man told police that the threat of losing the minimal food he was given and longer lockdowns kept him from trying to escape.
However, he told the police that the already inhumane conditions he was made to endure worsened after his father passed away last year.
However, he told the police that the already inhumane conditions he was made to endure worsened after his father passed away last year.
The stepmother’s attorney said the culprit was the victim’s father
Image credits: https://www.wtbypd.org/
Image credits: Law&Crime Network
The alleged ab*ser’s attorney, Ioannis Kaloidis, is claiming that it was the victim’s own father who dictated how his son would be raised.
According to NBC Connecticut, he said, “These allegations are not true. They are outlandish. [Sullivan] was blown away when she heard these allegations.”
“We look forward to being able to vindicate her and show that she’s done nothing wrong,” Kaloidis added.
Online users sparked fury after seeing the disturbing photos of the house
