In Waterbury, Connecticut, a man who claims his stepmother kept him captive in their house for 20 years since he was a child, is puzzled as to why she isn’t jailed as she awaits trial, according to a state prosecutor. A supervisory assistant state’s attorney brought this up during a hearing for Kimberly Sullivan. Sullivan, who pled not guilty to charges including kidnapping and felony assault, has been ordered to wear an electronic monitoring device. Concerns about her potentially fleeing prompted a request for house arrest.
“This victim is frightened and lives in constant fear,” the prosecutor stated, citing a meeting with the victim who asked, “Why is she free to walk around when I was confined to a room for two decades?” Sullivan, now 57, left jail on a $300,000 bail after her arrest on March 12. She has consistently denied the allegations of keeping her stepson confined in a small room, severely restricting his nourishment to the extent that he weighed only 69 pounds when discovered. At 5’9″, he was markedly underweight.
Sullivan’s attorney opposed the house arrest request, emphasizing that she has met all bail conditions and arguing that threats against her would pose a danger if she were confined to a single location. The prosecutor’s concerns come in the wake of the now 32-year-old man setting a fire on February 17 to escape. Firefighters rescued him, and medical staff noted his severe malnourishment.
The man recounted to the police that from around the age of 11, he was mostly confined to an unheated, airless room, only allowed out briefly to complete household chores. His father, who recently passed away, granted longer reprieves, according to the victim. The man alleged he suffered relentless hunger. His removal from Waterbury’s public school system in 2004 raised flags when school officials alerted state child welfare due to their concerns.
Calls have emerged for stricter home-schooling oversight as state and local authorities probe the events leading to this situation. Waterbury police, who previously visited Sullivan’s home twice in 2005, hadn’t found any cause for alarm back then. Additionally, a former school principal expressed concerns dating back to the man’s childhood about his thin appearance and behavior indicative of food deprivation.
Although the Department of Children and Families (DCF) workers visited Sullivan’s home, their actions remain unclear. The victim claimed Sullivan coerced him into affirming everything was fine, with threats to further limit his food. Initially unable to locate any records involving the family, DCF has now uncovered some documents and is reviewing them. Details will be shared with authorities upon conclusion of their assessment.