Police charge stepmother after emaciated man says he was held captive for more than 20 years

Yellow crime tape blocks off an area in the U.S. on Tuesday, July 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

WATERBURY, Conn. — A Connecticut man who said he was held captive for 20 years was rescued after setting fire to his room and telling first responders he did it to gain his freedom, police said Wednesday.

The man’s stepmother was charged with cruelty and kidnapping.

Waterbury first responders rescued the emaciated, 32-year-old man from an upstairs room after they were deployed to a house fire last month, police said in a statement. While being treated for smoke inhalation, he revealed that he intentionally set the blaze.

“I wanted my freedom,” the man said, according to police. He said he had been held captive since he was about 11 years old.

An investigation revealed that the man, whose name was not released, “had been held in captivity for over 20 years, enduring prolonged abuse, starvation, severe neglect, and inhumane treatment,” police said, adding that he had not received medical or dental care during that time.

“The suffering this victim endured for over 20 years is both heartbreaking and unimaginable,” Chief Fernando Spagnolo said in a statement.

Kimberly Sullivan, 56, identified as the man’s stepmother, was charged with assault, kidnapping, unlawful restraint, cruelty and reckless endangerment. She was arraigned Wednesday and held in lieu of US$300,000 bond.

Sullivan’s attorney, Ioannis Kaloidis, said her client was “stunned to hear the allegations” and denies them.

“What she indicated to me was that they were absolutely not true, and as we get more information we intend to put up a vigorous defense,” Kaloidis said by phone. “But she’s adamant she did not do the things that she’s accused of.”

He said he was still gathering information and could not immediately say whether anyone else lived in the home.