(Patriot.Buzz) – In a horrifying case of long-term child abuse, a man was held captive by his mother for 20 years, leaving him severely emaciated at only 68 pounds.
See the tweet below.
The 32-year-old victim, held prisoner since he was just 11 years old, finally gained freedom by setting a fire in his locked room, risking death to escape the nightmare that government authorities failed to detect for over 20 years.
Kimberly Sullivan with multiple serious charges, including kidnapping, assault, unlawful restraint, cruelty to persons, and reckless endangerment, after Connecticut authorities discovered her stepson following a fire at their home.
Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo did not mince words about the severity of the case.
“In 33 years of law enforcement, this is the worst treatment of humanity that I’ve ever witnessed,” Spagnolo stated.
He further described the victim’s living conditions as “worse than the conditions of a jail cell.”
Medical professionals examining the victim found him in a state of severe malnutrition with a body mass index (BMI) of just 11, dangerously below the healthy range.
Doctors reported he had received no medical or dental care during his two decades of captivity. Sullivan allegedly provided minimal food and water and only allowed him out of his room for supervised chores.
“The suffering this victim endured for over 20 years is both heartbreaking and unimaginable,” Spagnolo added.
The victim’s desperate bid for freedom came when he set fire to his room using hand sanitizer and paper.
When asked why he risked his life by starting the fire, his answer was heartbreakingly simple: “I wanted my freedom.”
Perhaps most disturbing is that this abuse continued despite a 2005 visit by police to the home after school officials expressed concern about the child’s absence.
Officers at that time found no cause for alarm, a tragic missed opportunity that allowed the abuse to continue for 15 more years.
This failure of the system raises serious questions about how such prolonged captivity could go undetected in an American neighborhood.
Sullivan, who is being held on a $300,000 bond, denies all allegations through her attorney.
Her lawyer, Ioannis Kaloidis, claimed, “He was not locked in a room. She did not restrain him in any way. She provided food; she provided shelter. She is blown away by these allegations.”
However, police reported the victim’s room was secured with multiple exterior locks that increased in security over time.
The investigation into this shocking case continues. Authorities are examining how this level of abuse could have persisted for decades in a residential neighborhood without intervention.
As the victim receives proper medical care and begins recovery from his ordeal, Americans are left wondering how many other victims might be suffering similar fates behind closed doors in communities across the nation.
A woman was charged for allegedly holding her “severely emaciated” stepson in captivity for over 20 years, and forcing him to endure “prolonged abuse, starvation, severe neglect, and inhumane treatment,” police said. https://t.co/vTZTNDi8t1
— ABC News (@ABC) March 13, 2025
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