A 32-year-old man in Waterbury, Connecticut, was found severely emaciated and having suffered prolonged abuse, starvation, neglect, and inhumane treatment at the hands of his stepmother for more than two decades. He escaped the small room where he had been locked away by setting their house on fire on February 17. The stepmother, Kimberly Sullivan, was arrested and charged with kidnapping, assault, unlawful restraint, and other crimes.
The man, only identified as MV-1 in court documents, weighed 68 pounds and had not received medical or dental care in years. He told authorities he had been locked in an 8-by-9-foot room since 4th grade and was only allowed out for chores for short periods before being locked away again. Despite his suffering, he never reported the abuse for fear of retaliation.
An investigation in 2005 deemed the homeschooling plan for the boy adequate, and there had been no contact with law enforcement or other officials in the intervening years. Concerns were raised by an uncle during a Christmas visit, but the family pushed him away when he tried to reach out to the boy.
The police chief described the case as one of the worst acts of inhumanity he had ever witnessed in his 33 years of law enforcement. Sullivan’s attorney denied the allegations, stating that the stepson was not locked in a room and she provided food and shelter. The man, now on the mend, recounted his ordeal of mental conditioning and fear of repercussions if he spoke out about his situation.
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