"Like in a horror movie"

US-American woman held stepson captive for 20 years

Kimberly Sullivan is said to have tortured her stepson for decades.

(Bild: facebook.com/Waterbury Police Department, Krone KREATIV)

Unimaginable what a young man in the USA had to go through: he is said to have been held captive in the house by his own stepmother for more than 20 years. The victim (32), who had lost around 30 kilograms, set a fire to attract the attention of the authorities.

The man claimed to have been held captive by his 56-year-old stepmother Kimberly Sullivan in the Conneticut home since he was about ten years old. Chief Assistant District Attorney Donald Therkildsen described the case as "like something out of a horror movie".

The room where the man was held was 2.44 meters by 2.74 meters and had no heating or air conditioning. The victim was compared by the prosecutor to "a survivor of the Auschwitz extermination camp". The man had "endured prolonged abuse, starvation, severe neglect and inhumane treatment", the investigation revealed.

Victim risked life with room fire
To escape these circumstances, the 32-year-old started a fire in his dungeon on February 17 using hand sanitizer, an old lighter and printer paper. "He lit the fire even though he knew he could have died," says Therkildsen. "I wanted my freedom," the man explained, according to the police.

A photo of the suspects in court:

The victim told after his release that he had had to drink water from the toilet as a child because he didn't even get enough to drink. His food was also rationed. When he was still allowed to go to school, he stole food there - sometimes even from garbage cans. He had not received any medical care or seen a dentist for a long time - his teeth were rotten as a result. When he was rescued, his skin was dirty and his hair matted.

When his father was still alive, the victim was still allowed to leave the room now and again to do housework or watch television. But when his father died, his already hopeless situation became even worse: he was no longer allowed out of his dungeon and had to relieve himself with bottles and newspapers.

"The suffering that this victim had to endure for over 20 years is heartbreaking and unimaginable," explained police chief Fernando Spagnolo. The stepmother was arrested and charged with assault, kidnapping, deprivation of liberty, cruelty and reckless endangerment.

Stepmother denies everything
She vehemently denies the allegations: Sullivan claims that the victim's door was not locked and that her stepson was allowed to move freely around the house. However, as the "CT Post" reported, the arrest warrant stated that there was a sliding lock on the outside of his room.