Stepmoms eight chilling words after emaciated son who was locked up for 20 years finally escaped
A neighbor of a Connecticut woman accused of locking up her stepson for 20 years has shared the chilling remarks she made after the 32-year-old finally escaped.
A neighbor of a Connecticut woman accused of locking up her stepson for 20 years has shared the chilling remarks she made after the 32-year-old finally escaped.
Residents in Waterbury have said they were unaware Kimberly Sullivan, 56, had a stepson whom she allegedly kept in an 8-foot-by-9-foot room since h e was just 11 years old.
It is alleged he was only allowed out of his tiny room to perform chores and at Halloween to go trick-or-treating, and was given just two cups of water each day.
After two decades of such treatment, the stepson finally escaped on February 17 when he set a fire using hand sanitizer, a lighter and some paper.
One day later, before she was arrested, Sullivan told her neighbor, 39-year-old Marvin McCullough, I just want to get out of here, he recounted to CNN.
He did not think much of the comments at the time, but when police remained at Sullivans Waterbury home one week later, he knew something was wrong.
Sullivan is now facing a slew of disturbing charges, including assault and kidnapping, with prosecutors claiming she inflicted prolonged abuse, starvation, severe neglect, and inhumane treatment on the boy.
They noted that he weighed just 69 pounds, while standing at 5 feet, 9 inches when he was rescued from the House of Horrors and said he was akin to a survivor of Auschwitzs death camp.
A neighbor of Kimberly Sullivans shared her chilling remarks after her now 32-year-old stepson finally escaped their Waterbury house
The victim has said he was locked up in an 8-foot-by-9-foot room at the house (pictured) since he was just 11 years old
Harrowing body camera footage from the scene of the fire show the moment the emaciated man was rescued.
His limp body could be seen being carried into a waiting ambulance where he was bundled inside, as Sullivan expressed concern for her dogs wellbeing.
Once the man was inside the ambulance, he told them his stepmother had kept him locked up - and when police went to investigate his claims, they found the locks on the small storage space where he said he had been held.
The news shocked neighbors, one of whom later remembered how his daughter once claimed she thought she saw a ghost inside the home.
She saw a little boy in the window with a baseball cap on, and he waved at her and she waved at him… and then she never saw him again, Zeffney Guarnera told DailyMail.com.
‘She even said, "did I see a ghost?"’
But teachers have said they saw warning signs about the boys treatment years ago, noting that he would sometimes drink out of the urinals because he was so thirsty.
Nothing surprised me about the situation, Tom Pannone, the former principal of the now-closed Barnard Elementary School, told Daily Mail. Every year, every teacher had concerns.
The stepson finally escaped on February 17 when he set a fire using hand sanitizer, a lighter and some paper
His limp body could be seen being carried into a waiting ambulance where he was bundled inside, as Sullivan expressed concern for her dogs wellbeing
He said the victim attended the school from when he was in kindergarten to fourth grade, only to vanish when teachers began to raise concern about his wellbeing.
The former principal also recalled the boy used to share horror stories of his home life since he was as young as five, when he already looked way too small for his age.
A teacher reported to me that he said the mother bought pizza one night, but he could not have any. It was only for the sisters and the rest of the family, Pannone said on Thursday.
So this is when he was like five years old, and the red flags were flying at that age and reports were made. I couldnt tell you how many times reports were made to children and family support agencies.
He also said he called Kimberly several times to report that he had been stealing food, but the woman would always claim the boy was fine, once saying he had allergies and asking teachers to not give him food.
He was like half the size of all the other kids in the in the classroom, and even on the class pictures that I have, you could see even at a kindergartner, he looks like a three-year-old... [and was] constantly hungry, constantly hungry... Pannone shared.
[She said] he has food allergies, lactose intolerance and something like that.
So she literally did not want the school to give him any food. And every one of his teachers gave him food anyway. We knew this kid was hungry... he was ravenous.
Sullivan is now facing a slew of disturbing charges , including assault and kidnapping,
The alleged victims elementary school principal Tom Pannone told DailyMail.com he repeatedly contacted officials
Neighbor Zeffney Guarnera told how his daughter once thought she saw a ghost inside the Sullivans home
Whenever Pannone made a report though, he said, he was told that agents reviewed the case and found the child to be safe.
In 2005, local police conducted a welfare check after children who attended school with the boy expressed concern about him.
Police also interacted with the Sullivans after they made a harassment complaint against school officials for reporting them to state child welfare officials.
Officers who went to the home said that they spoke to the man, then a child, and reported there was no cause for concern.
But following the complaints, the Sullivans pulled the boy from the elementary school - and he was not seen again.
Sullivan is set tp be arraigned on Wednesday after repeatedly denying the claims against her
Still, Sullivan has denied any wrongdoing - instead placing the blame on her stepsons now deceased father.
Attorney Ioannis Kaloidis has said it was her husband, Kregg, that made decisions about his sons life.
Sullivan even claims she encouraged better personal hygiene but couldnt force him to wash, and says she was aware of his weight but wasnt responsible for it.
She completely maintains her innocence, from our perspective. These allegations are not true. They are outlandish.
She was blown away when she heard these allegations, Kaloidis previously said.
Sullivan is now due back in court for an arraignment on Wednesday, when her attorneys are expected to enter a not guilty plea on her behalf.
In the meantime, the Safe Haven of Greater Waterbury is raising money to help pay for the victims recovery.
It says the funds will provide the victim with medical and dental care, counseling and therapy, housing and daily living expenses and support for legal fees.
Every donation, no matter how small, will help give this survivor a chance to heal, rebuild and find peace, the online fundraiser reads.
It had a goal of just $10,000, but has since raised over $182,000 for the victim, with the Safe Haven saying donations have poured in from all around the world.