In Waterbury, Connecticut, a man who claimed he was held captive by his stepmother for two decades since childhood has questioned why she is out on bail awaiting trial, according to a state prosecutor. Don Therkildsen Jr., a supervisory assistant state’s attorney, expressed these concerns during a court hearing for Kimberly Sullivan, who entered a plea of not guilty to charges of kidnapping and felony assault. Sullivan was ordered to wear electronic monitoring, but Therkildsen requested house arrest due to fears of her potentially fleeing.
Therkildsen shared in court, “This victim is afraid. This victim lives in fear. I introduced myself to the victim, explained who I was. His first question in this fear is, ‘Why is she out walking around when I was locked up in a room for 20 years?’”
Sullivan, aged 57, posted bail of $300,000 following her arrest on March 12. She has refuted claims that she confined her stepson in a tiny room in their Waterbury residence, limiting his food and water intake to the extent that he weighed only 69 pounds when rescued, despite being 5 feet 9 inches tall.
Sullivan’s attorney, Ioannis Kaloidis, objected to the request for house arrest, stating that she has adhered to all conditions since being released on bail. Kaloidis also raised concerns about threats made against Sullivan, arguing that confining her to a single location would jeopardize her safety.
The man, now 32 years old, set a fire in the house on February 17 in an attempt to escape, as per police reports. Firefighters rescued him and took him to a hospital, where medical staff noted severe malnutrition.
He disclosed to authorities that he had been confined in the small room without proper heating or cooling for most of each day since the age of around 11, only permitted brief breaks for chores. His father, Kregg Sullivan, who passed away last year, occasionally allowed him longer periods outside the room.
The man recounted constantly feeling hungry. In 2004, he was withdrawn from Waterbury’s public school system after concerns about his well-being were raised by educators who contacted state child welfare officials. Plans were apparently made for him to receive homeschooling.
State and local agencies are investigating the circumstances surrounding the case, and some are advocating for stricter oversight of homeschooling practices.
Waterbury police stated that they visited Sullivan’s residence twice in 2005 but found no cause for concern.
Tom Pannone, a former principal at the man’s elementary school, shared with WVIT-TV that school staff had alerted Sullivan and the Department of Children and Families (DCF) multiple times due to worries about the man’s thin appearance and behavior of taking food and items from the trash.
Although DCF workers reportedly visited the home, the man told authorities that Sullivan forced him to assure them that everything.
