The biological mother of a 32-year-old Connecticut man who was rescued after allegedly being held captive by his stepmom for over 20 years has spoken out.
The unnamed man was rescued from a fire he admitted to starting in the home where he'd been kept for over two decades, telling first responders he'd set light to the home out of desperation to be freed.
Kimberly Sullivan, 56, was arrested last week after the shocking claims came to light when the 32-year-old man started a fire in their home on February 17.
Sullivan had fled the family's Waterbury home when the blaze erupted, and the 32-year-old man, who weighed just 68 lbs according to court documents, was assisted by first responders.
He received treatment for smoke inhalation and exposure to the flames and told first responders that he'd intentionally set light to the cramped storage space where he was forced to sleep in order to end the hellish ordeal he'd been subjected to since the age of 11.
His biological mom has now spoken out with a blunt message for Sullivan after the brutal alleged ordeal came to light.
The 52-year-old, who gave up custody of her son when he was a child, told NBC Connecticut: "She can rot in hell.
"She needs to spend the rest of her life in solitary confinement and fed two cups of water a day,” she added, referring to the allegation that the victim had only received two cups of water a day and had to drink from a toilet in order to survive.
The victim's mother and one of his half-sisters told the outlet that they'd "looked for him for so long," and had been trying to find him on social media since he turned 18 to no avail.
His 35-year-old half-sister explained: "I’ve been looking for him for over a decade … there was nothing. No social media, no court records, no ancestry information, nothing."
The mom added: "We love him, I love him. He is so strong and I’m so proud of him for doing what he needed to do. I wish he did it sooner."
The alleged ordeal began when the man was just 11 years old, when he was pulled out of elementary school, after he had been forced to steal food from others or eat out of the garbage due to his hunger.
The man heartbreakingly claimed that when he was a little boy living with Sullivan, his father - who died in January 2024 - and his siblings, he even had to resort to drinking out of a toilet bowl at times to quench his thirst as he was only allowed two cups of water per day, according to a warrant affidavit obtained by WFSB.
Per the affidavit, he claimed he'd been forced to use bottles and newspapers when needing the toilet in his teenage and adult years.
He alleged that the abuse worsened when his biological father died in January 2024, after which he was locked in his room between 22-24 hours a day.
In order to start the fire, the man had used hand sanitizer, printer paper, and a lighter that he'd found in the pocket of a jacket belonging to his late father, the warrant stated.
As he and Sullivan fled the blaze, the man fell to the ground and stayed there so that firefighters would be forced to pick him up, as he believed "this was his only way out of his situation".
After being rescued, he told police: "I wanted my freedom."
According to Sullivan's arrest warrant, her stepson told investigators the reason he never tried to escape was because she'd warned him not to attract attention "under pain of death."
The police and Waterbury State’s Attorney’s Office launched an investigation which found that the man faced "inhumane treatment", including being starved, abused, and neglected, and had not had any medical or dental checkups or treatment in many years.
Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Don Therkildsen said, via CT Insider: "The facts of this case, quite frankly, the facts are something out of a horror movie. That’s without exaggeration."
He added that the victim set fire to the home in a desperate attempt for freedom, "knowing he very well could have died."
An attorney for Sullivan, Ioannis Kaloidis, denied the claims against her, stating: "The allegations are horrific, but they are simply that: allegations. They’re allegations made by one person that are largely uncorroborated by any independent evidence."
Sullivan is charged with first-degree assault, second-degree kidnapping, first-degree unlawful restraint, cruelty to persons, and first-degree reckless endangerment.
Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo said in a statement: "The suffering this victim endured for over 20 years is both heartbreaking and unimaginable."
Sullivan's lawyer said that she was "blown away" and "stunned" when he read the list of accusations to her, adding: "She is innocent and she has every intention of defending this case and we are confident she will be vindicated."
He claimed there was food in the home and that the stepson was not locked in a room, adding: "Does he have health issues? I’m sure he does. But she’s the stepmom, there was a biological father that was responsible for his care, who dictated his care," noting the father died last year.
Neighbors said the family kept to themselves and that they never saw the stepson outside of the house, but had seen him over the years doing yardwork without realizing it was Sullivan's stepson.
Sullivan's bond was set at $300,000. Her next court appearance is March 26.