A Connecticut woman accused of imprisoning her stepson for nearly two decades and subjecting him to starvation and relentless abuse is set to appear in court on Friday to face charges including assault, kidnapping and cruelty.
Kimberly Sullivan, 56, was arrested on March 12 and has denied the allegations through one of her attorneys, Ioannis Kaloidis. Sullivan was released on a $300,000 bond.
“He was not locked in a room. She did not restrain him in any way,” Kaloidis said. “She provided food. She provided shelter. She is blown away by these allegations.”
Sullivan plans to plead not guilty, her attorneys have said. At a hearing Wednesday, the state gave notice to Sullivan’s attorney that it planned to file a motion to modify the conditions of her release, and Kaloidis was given until Friday to respond. Judge Joseph Schwartz asked Kaloidis to delay entering a plea for Sullivan until then.
The case came to light after a 32-year-old man – who told police he had been held captive for over 20 years – last month set fire to the Waterbury, Connecticut, home he shared with Sullivan in what authorities described as a desperate bid for freedom.
On February 17, emergency responders arrived at the burning home to find Sullivan and her stepson, police said. While Sullivan escaped unharmed, the man – who suffered from smoke inhalation and burns – required medical attention.
The man later told police he intentionally started the fire in his upstairs room, explaining, “I wanted my freedom.” An arrest warrant, obtained by CNN affiliate WFSB, detailed years of what the man described as “captivity, abuse and starvation.”
When police arrived, they found the man severely emaciated, weighing just 70 pounds at 5-foot-9. His hair was matted, his teeth were decaying, and he appeared dirty and disheveled.
“Thirty-three years of law enforcement, this is the worst treatment of humanity that I’ve ever witnessed,” Waterbury Police Chief Fred Spagnolo said at a news conference on March 13. “It’s really hard to talk about, still.”
Tracy Vallerand, 52, speaking outside court on Wednesday, identified herself as the biological mother of the man.
Vallerand gave up custody of her son when he was 6 months old, she said. “I thought he was going to be with his father, where he was safe. That didn’t turn out to be the case.”
“I was not expecting him being locked in a room,” she added, noting that she had searched for her son on several occasions over the years but didn’t know where the father and Sullivan had moved to.
She didn’t know her son’s current location or condition, she said. “When he is healthier and he’s stronger, if he wants a relationship with me – I am right here. I’m not going anywhere.”
Sullivan’s house in Waterbury, Connecticut.
Laura Oliverio/CNN
A grim existence
The man’s account outlined in the arrest warrant paints a harrowing picture of life inside the home. He said his confinement began when he was around 11 years old. He said he was locked in a storage room with additional locks added over time, surviving each day on just two sandwiches – egg salad, tuna, or peanut butter – and a small amount of water.
By his teenage years, he said, he was constrained to his room 22 to 24 hours a day. To relieve himself, he devised a makeshift funnel to direct urine out of the window using straws, according to an affidavit included with the warrant.
The man’s allegations trace back to his early childhood. He said that by fourth grade he was scavenging for food at night, prompting Sullivan to lock him in his room. Eventually, he was removed from school entirely and was only allowed out to complete chores.
The man stated 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” and only for about 1 minute a day, according to the affidavit.
Despite two wellness checks by the state’s Department of Children and Families and police visits in 2004, the alleged mistreatment went undetected. Authorities reported finding a home that appeared clean and “lived-in,” according to Spagnolo, and no further action was taken.
Kimberly Sullivan
Waterbury Police Department/AP
In January 2024, the man’s father died, leaving Sullivan as his sole caretaker. According to the man, Sullivan’s control over him grew even more restrictive.
About a year ago, he discovered a lighter in his late father’s jacket, which became his means of escape.
In February, he gathered printer paper for kindling, hand sanitizer for fuel, and used the lighter to start the fire. After years of alleged captivity, abuse and starvation, he said, he finally saw a path to freedom.
Search warrants later revealed plywood and locks on the door to his room, corroborating his account of confinement.
Now recovering at a medical facility, the man faces a long journey of physical and emotional healing. “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.”
Waterbury officials have pledged support for the man as he begins his recovery. “We’re committed to supporting him in every way possible as he begins to heal from this unimaginable trauma,” said Waterbury Mayor Paul K. Pernerewski.
CNN’s Michelle Krupa, Dakin Andone, and Rebekah Riess contributed to this article.
News
New clues emerge in Lynette Hooker’s disappearance: Police discover irregularities in her husband’s phone, and messages sent before her disappearance spark outrage… 👇👇
The disappearance of Lynette Hooker has entered a critical phase as investigators uncover irregularities in her husband’s phone—along with a series of messages sent shortly before she vanished. What initially appeared to be a routine digital review is now raising serious questions about timing, intent, and what may have happened in the hours leading up […]
They laughed at her the first time they saw apples shining on her roof like pieces of gold.
They laughed at her the first time they saw apples shining on her roof like pieces of gold. Not quietly. Not kindly. The kind of laughter that travels. From the porch of the general store in Ashaow Valley, men leaned against wooden posts, squinting up at the ridge where Martha Wickfield’s cabin clung to the […]
JUST NOW: Amy Hillyard left home without her phone or wallet, then appeared miles away on camera — investigators are now asking whether this was confusion, intention, or something else entirely… 👇
A critical gap in the timeline is now at the center of the investigation into the disappearance of Amy Hillyard—and it may hold the key to everything. Police have confirmed two fixed points: She was seen and accounted for at 2:00 PM She was again traceable at 4:30 PM But what happened in the two-and-a-half […]
A billionaire discovers his ex-wife carrying firewood with their twins The road was silent, scorched by the afternoon sun
The road was silent, scorched by the afternoon sun, when a woman bent beneath a bundle of firewood took another trembling step. Dust clung to her skin. Two little girls followed behind her, barefoot, their faces far too serious for their age. Then a black luxury SUV stopped. Inside, a powerful man forgot how to […]
LIVE: The room falls silent as Gerhardt Konig reacts unexpectedly when the prosecutor announces new evidence… 👇👇
A tense and unexpected moment has unfolded during the latest courtroom session involving Gerhardt Konig, as observers described a brief but deliberate gesture that quickly became the focus of attention. According to those present, Konig—who had remained largely silent—suddenly signaled toward the courtroom door. What followed shortly afterward has drawn scrutiny from both investigators and […]
JUST NOW IN COURT: The final hearing in the case of Gerhardt Konig takes a turn — a brief gesture is now being closely watched… 👇👇
A tense and unexpected moment has unfolded during the latest courtroom session involving Gerhardt Konig, as observers described a brief but deliberate gesture that quickly became the focus of attention. According to those present, Konig—who had remained largely silent—suddenly signaled toward the courtroom door. What followed shortly afterward has drawn scrutiny from both investigators and […]
End of content
No more pages to load
