US Woman Held Stepson Captive For Over 20 Years. How He Escaped

A Connecticut mother has been accused of holding her stepson captive in terrible circumstances for more than two decades. The stepson, now 32, revealed he deliberately set the house on fire last month in an attempt to gain "freedom."

Kimberly Sullivan, 56, was detained and charged with the horrific crime on Wednesday, a month after the awful living arrangement came to light before the family's Waterbury home caught fire, authorities said.

According to court documents, Ms Sullivan left the house, and on February 17, her stepson, who weighed only 68 pounds, was subsequently dragged out by firefighters.

He admitted he ignited the fire in a small storage area where he was forced to sleep. He told firemen, "I wanted my freedom."

Authorities claimed the mother held her critically malnourished stepson in captivity in "something out of a horror movie" before he burned their house to escape the "inhumane" and terrible circumstances.

According to Ms Sullivan's warrant, police described the man as "extremely emaciated" and "very dirty," with "matted and unkempt" hair and what appeared to be decaying teeth.

The victim reportedly had never visited a dentist or a doctor since he was a little child. He also mentioned he had been confined by his stepmother since he was about 11 years old.

The man admitted to the police that his room's door was always locked. The lock changed from a chain lock to a padlock and eventually to a sliding bolt.

According to the warrant, his captivity and weekday schedule were "brutally consistent" for the rest of his life after he was removed from school.

He was allowed to leave his room for a brief period of time in the morning to finish household tasks that could take anything from 15 minutes to two hours.

The man added he was transferred to a smaller room, measuring eight feet by nine feet, for storage purposes when he was 12 years old. It lacked air conditioning in the summer and heat in the winter.

The boy's school contacted the Department of Children and Families (DCF) when he was in fourth grade. He was constantly hungry, as per school officials, and the boy's stepmother ordered him to lie and claim everything was fine.

"The suffering this victim endured for over 20 years is both heartbreaking and unimaginable," Waterbury police chief Fernando Spagnolo stated.

Former neighbour Paula Depina, who lived next door, said she always felt something wasn't right when she saw him in the windows.

Ms Sullivan was charged with first-degree assault, second-degree kidnapping, first-degree unlawful restraint, first-degree cruelty to individuals, and first-degree reckless endangerment.

Ms Sullivan's attorney said that his client was "blown away" and was "stunned by what is being said." They said that Ms Sullivan was "innocent and she has every intention of defending this case."