A stepmother faces charges of assault, kidnapping, and unlawful imprisonment after allegedly keeping her stepson confined for two decades. She reportedly made a haunting eight-word declaration before the malnourished man managed to flee.
Kimberly Sullivan, residing in Waterbury, Connecticut, allegedly kept her stepson locked in a small room in her house. This came to light when the man was found severely undernourished following a fire incident last month.
Having been withdrawn from school at age 10, the man allegedly used a lighter, paper, and hand sanitizer to ignite a fire, as a desperate means to escape his confinement.
He claims he was given only two sandwiches and two glasses of water daily, and his only reprieve from the box room was to perform household chores.
The day before her arrest, Sullivan reportedly uttered a disturbing comment to her neighbor Marvin McCullough.
Speaking with CNN, McCullough recalled her words: “I just want to get out of here.”
Initially, McCullough didn’t attribute much to her statement, but as the police continued their presence at the house a week later, the gravity of her words became more apparent.
Inquiries are now being made into how the man managed to remain unseen in the household for so long. Former school principal Tom Pannone revealed his repeated attempts to alert child protective services.
“We knew it. We reported it. Not a damn thing was done,” he expressed to NBC News.
“Everyone really was concerned with this child since he was five years old. You knew something was wrong. It was grossly wrong. You don’t disappear off the face of the earth at 10 years old.”
Neighbors have since expressed their shock upon learning of what was reportedly occurring in Sullivan’s residence.
One neighbor told NBC, “We probably saw that guy three times outside. I’m trembling right now just thinking about it because I can remember his face.”
Another neighbor stated they were unaware of the man’s presence and did not even know Sullivan had a stepson.
An arrest warrant states that a slide bolt lock was found on the room’s exterior, though Sullivan’s attorney, Ioannis Kaloidis, denies these allegations, claiming she is not the ‘villain’ portrayed.
“She’s not the villain she is being made out to be,” Kaloidis stated.
“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.”