A Connecticut mother is grateful to have found her son after years of searching.
One month after a 32-year-old man lit his home on fire to escape after allegedly being held captive by his stepmother for over two decades, his biological mother praised her son’s resilience.
“I love him,” the mother, who requested anonymity, told NBC Connecticut in an interview published March 17. “He’s so strong, and I’m so proud of him for doing what he needed to do. I wish he did it sooner.”
The 52-year-old said that she had been searching for her son—who was living with his stepmother Kimberly Sullivan following the death of his father—alongside his half-sister for years. Although the victim’s mother said that she had given up custody of the unnamed man when he was a child, she said she tried to be a part of his life, adding that despite attempts, neither the victim’s father nor Sullivan let her.
She questioned whether Sullivan—whom prosecutors said in a March 13 press conference had kept the man captive since he was approximately 11 years old—was “controlling” his father to the outlet.
“All of them in that home…need to get…charged,” the victim’s mother added, “She needs to actually spend the rest of her life in solitary confinement and fed two cups of water a day.”
She especially emphasized to NBC Connecticut that her son—who at 5-foot-9 only weighed 68 pounds when he was pulled out of the fire by first responders—has “both sides of his family that love him and have looked for him.”
The Waterbury Police Department and Waterbury Fire Department responded to a house fire on Feb. 17 where two people were inside the home, authorities shared in a March 12 statement on Facebook. After being rescued, the victim told first responders that he set the fire, per the statement, adding, “I wanted my freedom.”
“Detectives determined that the victim had been held in captivity for over 20 years, enduring prolonged abuse, starvation, severe neglect, and inhumane treatment,” the police department continued. “He was found in a severely emaciated condition and had not received medical or dental care during this time. Investigators further discovered that he had been provided with only minimal amounts of food and water, which led to his extremely malnourished condition.”
Sullivan—who was also rescued from the fire—was 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. Her bond was set at $300,000 and is scheduled to be in court March 26.
Sullivan’s attorney Ioannis Kaloidis asserted his client’s innocence, denying all the allegations brought against her.
“That is absolutely not true,” Kaloidis told NBC Connecticut. “He was not locked in a room. She did not restrain him in any way. She provided food, she provided shelter. She is blown away by these allegations.”
“We think as the evidence comes out, you’ll see that she’s not the villain she’s being made out to be,” he continued. “Absolutely not.”
Meanwhile, the victim’s half-sister shared insight into their family’s years-long search for her younger brother.
“I’ve always known he’s existed,” she told NBC Connecticut. “I’ve always loved him, and I’ve always been trying to find him. I’ve been looking for him for over a decade. I wanted to wait until he was 18. I’m almost 35 now. There was nothing…no social media, no court records.”
(E! News and NBC Connecticut are part of the NBCUniversal family.)
