How locked up man used hand sanitizer and paper to escape ‘evil’ stepmom after 20 years in captivity

A man held isolated and confined for two decades orchestrated a daring escape from a life of ‘captivity, abuse and starvation’ by setting his Connecticut home on fire with nothing but hand sanitizer and printer paper.

On February 17, police rushed to a blazing house fire on Blake Street in Waterbury, where 56-year-old Kimberly Sullivan was safely evacuated and her 32-year-old stepson was rescued from the flames, suffering smoke inhalation and exposure to the fire, WFSB reported.

In a shocking revelation, the 32-year-old man admitted to setting the fire himself; a desperate act that marked his dramatic escape from years of inhumane captivity that authorities say was imposed by his own stepmother.

‘He lit a fire with some hand sanitizer, some paper from a printer, and he lit that fire while he was locked in that room from the outside,’ a prosecutor said in court on Wednesday, WFSB reported.

‘He lit that fire very well knowing he could die, but he had been locked in the room for 20 years, and for 20 years he’d been trying to get out of that room.’

Sullivan is facing charges of kidnapping and cruelty, though she denies the  allegations and claims that he was never restrained.

When her stepson was hospitalized for treatment following the fire – weighing only about 68 pounds – he detailed the harrowing reality of the life he had endured since he was 11 years old.

‘I wanted my freedom,’ the man, referred to as ‘Male Victim 1, told first responders of why he started the blaze. 

A 32-year-old man admitted to intentionally setting his Connecticut home ablaze with nothing but printer paper and hand sanitizer to escape a life of ‘captivity, abuse and starvation’ imposed by his own stepmother for 20 years

As a child, the man was confined to an 8 foot by 9 foot room after his stepmother discovered food wrappers at home, a punishment that eventually led to him being permanently pulled out of the Waterbury Public School system altogether with no access to the outside world 

Kimberly Sullivan, 56, was arrested and charged with first-degree assault, second-degree kidnapping, first-degree unlawful restraint, cruelty to persons and first-degree reckless endangerment on Wednesday, despite denying all the allegations

Police were called to the Connecticut house fire last month. Sullivan, the homeowner, managed to escape the flames without help from fire crews. Her 32-year-old stepson, however, was suffering from smoke inhalation and exposure to the fire.

The man told officers that he intentionally setting the fire in his upstairs room by using printer paper for kindling and hand sanitizer for fuel. 

He told police that he found a lighter inside his late father’s jacket about a year ago, which sparked the idea for the daring escape. 

An officer described the man as standing 5-foot-9 but weighing only 70 pounds, appearing ‘extremely emaciated’ when he was seen after the fire, CNN reported.

His hair was dirty and matted upon discovery, and his teeth appeared to be rotten. Once police executed search warrants for the home, they found plywood and a lock on the door to his room.

‘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, according to WFSB.

‘He was found in severely emaciated condition and had not received medical or dental care during this time.’ 

For years, the man told police, he only ate egg, tuna salad or peanut butter sandwiches. When it came to water, he was given only two cups a day by his stepmother or was forced to drink out of the toilet

According to court documents, the unimaginable abuse allegedly began during the man’s elementary school years when he would sneak out of his room at night in search of food or water.

By fourth grade, he explained, he resorted to begging others for food, stealing or even scavenging through the garbage.

He was allegedly pulled out of the Waterbury Public School system and confined to his 8 by 9 foot room after his stepmother discovered food wrappers in their home. 

The man told police that the only time he was allowed outside the room was to complete his stepmother’s chores or let the dog out, experiencing freedom for only a few minutes before being forced back into the confines of his tiny prison.

This, the affidavit states, was his routine ‘nearly every day.’

From that moment on, the victim was cut off from the outside world. He was never allowed to have friends or fun – the only exception being on Halloween. Yet the last time he went trick-or-treating was at 12, dressed as a firefighter.

‘I have been kept a secret my entire life,’ the man told police, WFSB reported.

The man’s sudden disappearance from fourth grade puzzled his classmates, prompting a wellness check by state social workers with the Department of Children and Families and police officers in April of 2004 which they determined to be fine

Sullivan, the homeowner, managed to escape the blazing flames without help from fire crews. Her 32-year-old stepson, however, was suffering from smoke inhalation and exposure to the fire, prompting the fire department to rescue him from inside

His sudden disappearance from fourth grade puzzled his classmates, prompting a wellness check by state social workers with the Department of Children and Families and police officers in April of 2004.

‘Officers went to the house. It was clean, it was lived in,’ Fernando Spagnolo, the chief of the Waterbury Police Department, told the outlet.

‘They spoke to the victim at that time and there was no cause for any alarm, or any conditions that existed that would have led officers to believe anything other than a normal childhood,’ he added.

Police visited the home for a second time later that month, where the family requested to file a harassment complaint against school district members who continued to report them.

‘We sent an officer out to visit the home,’ Paul K. Pernerewski, the Waterbury mayor, told CNN. ‘He talked to the child and came back and reported that everything was okay.’

The Department of Children and Families said records of the visits were unavailable despite ‘extensive searches,’ as any case-related paperwork is discarded after five years if the claims are deemed unsubstantiated.

‘Then after that, it just sort of fell through the cracks or fell out of anyone’s notice at that point and continued on,’ Pernerewski added.

The now-32-year-old man told police that his stepmother had instructed him to claim he was fine during the two previous visits, a lie that paved the way for years of more continued abuse.

Around the age of 14 or 15, the affidavit reads, the victim left the property for the very last time to help his father dispose of yard waste. 

Afterward, while he was occasionally allowed out of the small room for 15 minutes to a few hours each day, he was locked and confined inside for at least 22 to 24 hours a day.

Forced to use a bottle as a toilet, the man told police about the ‘elaborate mechanism’ he had created to relieve himself, using straws to channel his urine through a hole in the storm window frame to dispose of the waste

‘The man stated that it got to a point where the only time he would ever be out of the house once his father died was to let the family dog out in the back of the property,’ the affidavit reads. ‘It was only about one minute each day’

His only outside access was allegedly through a radio outside his bedroom, he told police. The radio helped him keep track of the years, current events and his other interests, including NASCAR and University of Connecticut basketball.

The affidavit notes that police found the man had ‘ultimately educated himself’ using the three or four books he received each year, along with a dictionary he relied on to learn unfamiliar words. 

For years, the man told police, he only ate egg, tuna salad or peanut butter sandwiches. When it came to water, he was allegedly given only two cups a day or was forced to drink out of the toilet.

Forced to use a bottle as a toilet, the man told police about the ‘elaborate mechanism’ he had created to relieve himself, using straws to channel his urine through a hole in the storm window frame to dispose of the waste.

However, he never dared to open the window itself, he explained to police, as he feared the harsh retribution his stepmother would impose if she discovered his actions, including being locked inside the room for longer periods and further food restrictions.

‘He was, without exaggeration, akin to a survivor of Auschwitz’s death camp,’ a prosecutor said, according to WFSB. 

According to the affidavit, the victim recalled Sullivan warning him that ‘under pain of death no one was to see me.’

Police said this fear extended to other family members as well, describing ‘a level of fear of retaliation, on what would occur if information was released or help was provided to the victim by family members,’ despite not identifying them, CNN reported.

An uncle who tried to speak with the child, recalling him as ‘skinny, meek and mild mannered,’ was interrupted by Sullivan, who intervened and ended the interaction, according to the affidavit.

On Thursday, a cuffed Sullivan stood in front of a judge as her terms of probation were argued in court. Prosecutors asked for around-the-clock surveillance along with an ankle monitor, suggesting full confinement to the home

The man’s hair was dirty and matted upon discovery, and his teeth appeared to be rotten. Once police executed search warrants for the home, they found plywood and a lock on the door to his room

The same uncle visited the home on Christmas Eve for several years before the family eventually pushed him and his wife away, leading to their last visit around 2004 or 2005.

As the uncle’s concerns for the boy grew after nearly a decade without contact, he reached out to a private investigator who suggested he start searching for a death certificate.

Yet as the victim grew older and bigger, he only became increasingly more restricted within the home as more locks were added to the exterior of his room’s door.

‘It appeared that the locks increased in security levels as time progressed, and obviously he became older and maybe a little bit stronger,’ Spagnolo told reporters, CNN reported.

His captivity became even more restrictive in January of 2024 following the death of his father, who had been confined to a wheelchair for an extended period of time.

‘The man stated that it got to a point where the only time he would ever be out of the house once his father died was to let the family dog out in the back of the property,’ the affidavit reads. ‘It was only about one minute each day.’

Sullivan’s attorney said she is ‘maintaining her innocence’ and ‘looks forward to clearing her name’

The man said that his stepmother, his now-deceased father, two half-sisters and now-deceased grandmother were the only people aware of the situation. 

He is now in stable condition at a medical facility.

On Wednesday, 56-year-old Sullivan was arrested and charged with first-degree assault, second-degree kidnapping, first-degree unlawful restraint, cruelty to persons and first-degree reckless endangerment.

On Thursday, a cuffed Sullivan stood in front of a judge as her terms of probation were argued in court. Prosecutors asked for around-the-clock surveillance along with an ankle monitor, suggesting full confinement to the home.

Yet Sullivan’s attorney argued that his client was ‘absolutely shocked and appalled’ by the allegations. 

‘He was not locked in a room. She did not restrain him in any way,’ said Sullivan’s attorney Loannis Kaloidis, according to CNN. ‘She provided food. She provided shelter. She is blown away by these allegations.’

Sullivan ‘maintains her innocence,’ he added. ‘And looks forward to clearing her name.’ 

An officer described the man as standing 5-foot-9 but weighing only 70 pounds, appearing ‘extremely emaciated’ when he was seen after the fire

A judge ultimately decided on supervised release by a probation officer. Sullivan’s bond was set at $300,000, which she has since posted

A judge ultimately decided on supervised release by a probation officer. Sullivan’s bond was set at $300,000, which she has since posted, WFSB reported.

‘Thirty-three years of law enforcement, this is the worst treatment of humanity that I’ve ever witnessed,’ Spagnolo told reporters. ‘It’s really hard to talk about, still.’

‘It’s shuttering to think that someone would treat any person, let alone a family member or someone who was entrusted with a guardian or parental figure, in this way,’ he added. 

DCF also provided a statement on Thursday, where they described feeling ‘shocked and saddened for the victim and at the unspeakable conditions he endured’.

‘The now adult victim has shown incredible strength and resilience during this time of healing and our hearts go out to him.’ 

Now, the community is standing together in full support of the victim as he now faces the challenges of building a new life.

The mayor said that ‘we’re committed to supporting him in every way possible as he begins to heal from this unimaginable trauma’.

Sullivan’s next court appearance is scheduled for March 26. 

‘There’s a lot of physical therapy that he’ll have to go through,’ Spagnolo said. ‘There’s a lot of healing that he’ll have to go through mentally.’ 

‘It’s shuttering to think that someone would treat any person, let alone a family member or someone who was entrusted with a guardian or parental figure, in this way.’