The uncle of a connecticut man who is said to have been imprisoned for more than two decades by his bad stepmother, revealed the shock he felt when he was finally reunited with his cousin.
Kurt Sullivan, 55, had not seen the boy in more than 20 years, because his sister -in -law Kimberly Sullivan, 56, reportedly kept him in a room of 8 feet at 9 feet without heat or air conditioning and with very little food, because she pushed away family members who asked too many questions.
In the end, Kurt said that he was so concerned about the well -being of the child he “spoke to a private researcher who suggested going to vital statistics to look for a death certificate,” said a statement obtained by the New York Post.
He told the police that he went to the brother and the Waterbury house of the sister-in-law for a few years in a row 'for Christmas Eve until the family pushed him and his wife away', the boy described as 'skinny, meek and gentle'.
But when he tried to ask the boy some questions, Kurt said that his sister -in -law “intervened.”
Only after the boy had put a fire in the house on 17 February in a desperate attempt to escape that Kurt could reunite with his cousin.
“I was shocked, he looks like a survivor of the Holocaust,” he told the police about his response, following the feeling of a public prosecutor that the non -infected man was “without exaggeration, related to a survivor of the Auschwitz skull.”
Kimberly is now confronted with a whole series of disturbing charges, including abuse and abduction, but was released from prison on Thursday after placing a $ 300,000 bail.
Kimberly Sullivan, 56, is accused of holding her stepson imprisoned for more than 20 years
Allegedly she kept him in an 8 -feet room at 9 feet without heat or air conditioning and with very little food in their waterbury, Connecticut House
Authorities say that she had kept her stepson imprisoned since he was in the fourth grade, during which time he “endured long -term abuse, hunger, serious neglect and inhumane treatment.”
He even had to think of ways to remove his own waste because he did not have access to a bathroom, according to a newly released arrest warrant.
This included him using a series of straws that led to a hole in a window. It also said that his teeth would often break when he ate because of his lack of dental care.
The man also told the police that he was constantly hungry. When he was in school, he would ask classmates for food, steal food and eat from the waste.
In later years, when he was out of school and limited to the house, he would get two sandwiches a day and some water while he was locked up in his room.
The living conditions of the victim did not deteriorate until his father died last year and the police told that he only got two cups of water a day and sometimes forced to drink from the toilet.
When he was finally free last month and was taken to a local hospital, medical staff said that he was hungry nearby and had wasted the syndrome – a state of weight loss and muscle defense.
He only weighed 69 pounds, 31 kilograms, while according to the authorities he was 5 feet, 9 inches.
Kimberly's brother -in -law, Kurt, told how she pushed family members who asked too many questions
According to medical staff, the man was hungry nearby and the syndrome had a state of weight loss and muscle defense. The inside of the house can be seen here
The man is now confronted with a long way of physical and mental health care, said the police chief Fernando Spagnolo of Waterbury, said at a press conference on Thursday, adding that the police are trying to support the man by taking a collection to buy him clothing and other supplies.
He noted that the only interactions of the police were with the family in 2005.
In the beginning, the police carried out a welfare check after children who went to school with the boy expressed their concern about him.
The second and last time that the police had interacted with the Sullivans was after they had submitted an intimidation complaint against school officials for reporting children's welfare officials.
Officers who went to the house said they spoke with the man, then a child, and reported that there was no reason to concern.
But the former director of the now closed Barnard Elementary School said he was not surprised when he heard about Kimberly's arrest and noted that 'every teacher was worried every year'.
Tom Pannone of the alleged victim of the primary school told Tom Pannone to DailyMail.com that he repeatedly contacted officials
Neighbor Zeffney Guarnera, depicted, told Dailymail.com that his daughter once saw the victim and did not see him for a spirit
He remembered how the boy used to shared horror stories about his home life from the age of five, when he looked far too small for his age.
“A teacher told me he said that the mother bought pizza one evening, but he couldn't have one. It was only for the sisters and the rest of the family, “Tom Pannone told DailyMail.com.
“So this is when he was five years old, and the red flags flew at that age and reports were made.”
Eventually Pannone said that he even caught the boy in the urinal to rinse it to drink water, because I think he could reach the water fountain at the time. '
Pannone said that he had repeatedly contacted the authorities about the clearly malnourished boy with rotten teeth, but it was repeatedly told that he was in order.
He has always had the feeling that the authorities have dropped the ball on the case and now feel guilty about what happened.
Neighbor Zeffney Guarnera also told DailyMail.com how his daughter once saw the victim in a window about 14 years ago – but was so stunned by his appearance that she saw him for a spirit.
Kimberly denied every misconduct and was released from prison on Thursday. She is depicted on her preliminary guide on Wednesday
But Kimberly has denied misconduct.
“She completely maintains her innocence, from our perspective. These allegations are not true. They are bizarre. She was blown away when she heard these allegations, “her lawyer Ioannis Kaloidis told NBC Connecticut.
“We look forward to being able to justify her and show that she has done nothing wrong.”
The lawyer added: 'He was not locked up in a room. She has not limited him in any way. She took care of food, she offered shelter. It is blown away by these allegations. It is shocking and what is more shocking to me? It is how someone can falsely accused of something like that. '
Kimberly is back in court on 26 March.
