A 34-year-old man in Connecticut has told authorities he spent more than two decades held captive by his stepmother, surviving on food scraps from the garbage and water from the toilet bowl, according to court documents.
The case came to light on February 17, 2025, when the man set fire to the home, using printer paper, hand sanitizer, and a lighter. He told police the fire was his only way to regain his freedom.
Police found him in a room of roughly 72 square feet in severely malnourished condition. He weighed just 30.8 kilograms and required immediate hospitalization for smoke inhalation. Identified in court documents only by the initial S, he told officers he had been kept hidden his entire life, and that he tracked the passage of time only by what he heard on the radio.
He said he had gone years without bathing, had never visited a dentist, and had to cut his own hair. His teeth had deteriorated to the point where they would break when he tried to eat. For sanitation he used newspapers and plastic bottles, and had fashioned a makeshift device with a funnel and straws to remove urine from his room.
He said confinement became even stricter after his father died in 2024, and that threats to withhold food or extend his time locked up prevented him from seeking help.
Warning Signs Said to Have Been Ignored
According to testimony, authorities were alerted to the child’s situation as early as 2005, when his school raised concerns. Former principal Tom Panone said teachers had seen the boy stealing food and eating from the trash. He said everyone was genuinely worried about the child, that something was clearly very wrong, and that the school reported it but nothing was done.
The agency responsible for child and family services expressed sorrow over the conditions described in the case but said it has no records showing it received a report at that time.
Prosecutors described the man’s condition, without exaggeration, as comparable to that of an Auschwitz survivor, citing his extreme malnourishment. The 57-year-old stepmother, Kimberly Sullivan, denies all charges. Through her attorney she says she is innocent and does not intend to accept a plea deal that would carry a 30-year sentence with 10 years to be served. Her deadline to respond formally is September 4, 2026. If she rejects the deal, the case will go to trial, where a conviction could bring an even harsher sentence.
