• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Why 'house of horrors' victim never told anyone what was happening as 'stepmum kept him captive'

Home> News> US News

Updated 16:06 14 Mar 2025 GMTPublished 16:05 14 Mar 2025 GMT

Why 'house of horrors' victim never told anyone what was happening as 'stepmum kept him captive'

The victim was allegedly kept in sickening conditions for over 20 years

Jess Battison

Jess Battison

Police have explained why the ‘house of horrors’ victim never told anyone what was happening to him while his stepmum allegedly kept him captive.

The 32-year-old finally escaped the tiny room in Waterbury, Connecticut, he had been locked away in for over 20 years after setting the house on fire in February.

When responders arrived at the scene, he was found in a ‘severely emaciated condition and had not received medical or dental care during this time’. With Kimberly Sullivan evacuating the blaze safely, the man revealed he had started the fire, adding: “I wanted my freedom.”

Advert

He went on to accuse the 56-year-old of holding him captive since he was around 11 years old.

Kimberly Sullivan is accused of holding her stepson captive. (NBC)
Kimberly Sullivan is accused of holding her stepson captive. (NBC)

Sullivan was arrested earlier this week, facing a number of charges including assault, kidnapping, and unlawful restraint.

Authorities have since revealed more harrowing details of the allegations against her, which she denies.

Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo said in an interview that it’s ‘probably one of the worst acts of inhumanity’ he’s ever seen.

Advert

According to the affidavit, when a detective asked the man why he never told anyone what was happening to him, he said he wanted to, but feared ‘the constant threat of longer lock downs and further diminishment of food’.

He recalled how his father used to let him out of the 8-by-9-foot room on weekends and he’d occasionally be allowed to work in the garden.

And after his dad died, Sullivan’s captivity of him allegedly worsened, giving him two sandwiches and the equivalent of two small bottles of water a day.

The affidavit says the man ‘describes a life of being mentally conditioned by the woman'.

She faces a number of charges including kidnapping and assault. (Waterbury Police Department)
She faces a number of charges including kidnapping and assault. (Waterbury Police Department)

Advert

“He stated that the threat was that he would 'not see the light of day' if he told anyone and, knowing that he had little time out of his room to that point, it was not something he could risk,” it added.

With state officials in 2005 finding a home-schooling plan adequate for the victim, Spagnolo said there wasn’t any contact with law enforcement or other officials in the intervening years.

The chief added that a uncle grew concerned at one point after visiting at Christmas and seeing the stepson looking ‘skinny, meek, and mild-mannered’, with Sullivan intervening when he tried to talk to him.

"The family pushed him [the uncle] away," Spagnolo said. "He'd ask questions, he tried to reach out over time, but he never received any response."

He added: “There was a lot of inaction by the people closest to the victim. That's really hard to judge. We all have families. We all understand how domestic situations work. It seems like this went on for quite a long time and Kimberly was very successful hiding this from the public eye and even her family's eyes.”

Featured Image Credit: NBC

Topics: US News, Crime

Jess Battison
Jess Battison

Jess is a Senior Journalist with a love of all things pop culture. Her main interests include asking everyone in the office what they're having for tea, waiting for a new series of The Traitors and losing her voice at a Beyoncé concert. She graduated with a first in Journalism from City, University of London in 2021.

X

@jessbattison_

Advert

Advert

Advert

  • Stepmum responds to allegations she kept stepson captive in 'house of horrors' for 20 years
  • Sickening photos emerge from inside 'house of horrors' where mum 'kept stepson captive for 20 years'
  • Neighbours describe chilling encounter with 'house of horror' victim 'held captive by stepmum' for 20 years
  • Man 'held captive by stepmum in house of horrors for 20 years' speaks out for first time about horrific situation

Choose your content:

a minute ago
an hour ago
2 hours ago
  • a minute ago

    Where are we in search for Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 as Brit sailor 'saw it in sky just before crash'

    Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 has been subject to the largest search in aviation history

    News
  • an hour ago

    Heart surgeon explains why he doesn’t use common bathroom product due to serious cardiac risk

    According to one doctor, there's a specific product that carries a significant health risk

    News
  • 2 hours ago

    Former British Army colonel explains real tactics an 'angry' Putin is likely to use on the West

    Colonel Richard Kemp, the head of armed forces during the war in Afghanistan, has revealed what Vladimir Putin might do next

    News
  • 2 hours ago

    Donald Trump makes feelings on Elon Musk clear with brutal comment and social media reposts

    The US President and his former pal's public fallout is continuing to unfold online

    News