Neighbours have described their chilling encounter with the ‘house of horror’ victim.
Earlier this week, Kimberly Sullivan was arrested after allegedly holding her stepson captive for the last 20 years.
The shocking allegations came to light after the victim told police in Waterbury, Connecticut, he intentionally set a fire at the house in a bid for ‘freedom’, despite knowing it could have killed him.
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Police say responders rescued the 32-year-old from the fire and while he was receiving treatment, he claimed his stepmum had been holding him captive since he was around 11 years old.
“Detectives determined that the victim had been held in captivity for over 20 years, enduring prolonged abuse, starvation, severe neglect, and inhumane treatment,” police said.
“He was found in a severely emaciated condition and had not received medical or dental care during this time.”
The next-door neighbours of the house where these alleged horrifying acts took place recall their now 25-year-old daughter having an encounter with who they thought was a young boy.
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Zefferey Guarnera told the New York Post: “My daughter was on the swing set when she was 10 or 11 and saw the little boy up in that window.”
He said he waved at her and as she waved back, they didn’t think anything of it ‘but haven’t seen him since’.
The neighbour estimated the ‘little boy’ in the window was ‘probably around the same age’ as his daughter.
“But I guess if he looked emaciated, he might have looked younger because that’s why even the investigators said to me, ‘Did you see a man who may look like a child?’” Guarnera added.
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The neighbour also said it’s possible they had seen the same person outside doing work in the garden over the years, without ever realising it was Sullivan’s adult stepson.
Having allegedly been starved and neglected over two decades, the victim weighed just 68 pounds when he was rescued from the blaze in February.
Sullivan has been charged with assault in the first degree, kidnapping in the second degree, unlawful restraint in the first degree, cruelty to persons, and reckless endangerment in the first degree.
She was ‘stunned to hear the allegations’ and denied them, according to her attorney Ioannis Kaloidis.
“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 defence,” Kaloidis said, per the Independent.
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Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo said in a statement: “The suffering this victim endured for over 20 years is both heartbreaking and unimaginable. This case required relentless investigative effort, and I commend the dedication of our officers and the Waterbury State’s Attorney’s Office. Their unwavering commitment ensured that justice is served, and the perpetrator is held fully accountable for these horrific crimes.”
Jess Battison