According to a recently released arrest warrant, a man who was rescued from the burning house in Connecticut described a horrific story of constant hunger and being held captive by his father and stepsister for 20 years in one room.
The man said that his confinement started when he was 11 years old. He claimed he spent the day and night locked in a small room with no heat or air conditioning and was given very little food and water.
He used straws to create a hole through a window to dispose of waste because he had no bathroom. A lack of dental hygiene caused him to lose pieces of teeth when he ate. He used some of the two small bottles of water he received daily to wash without soap and trim his hair.
According to an arrest warrant, the years of cruelty came to an end on Feb. 17 when he deliberately set fire to his house in Waterbury to save himself. He then told his story to police and firefighters who responded.
Police are trying to find out how this happened and if there were any warning signs missed. Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo told a Thursday news conference that investigators wanted to review records from the city schools and state child welfare agency.
Spagnolo, who has spent thirty years as a law enforcement officer, said: “This is the worst human treatment I have ever seen.”
In police records, the man is now 32 and identified as “Male victim 1”. Kimberly Sullivan (56), her stepmother, was released after posting $300,000.000 bail in Waterbury Superior Court on Thursday, according to her lawyer Ioannis Kalloidis. He stated that Sullivan, arrested on Wednesday denies all wrongdoing. Her next court appearance is on March 26.
In a telephone interview, Kaloidis advised people to not rush to judgement. “This woman is assumed innocent.”
Authorities said that the man’s biological mother was not a part in his life. His father died last summer. He and Sullivan both lived in the house that he burned down.
CBS affiliate WFSB reported that the woman who owns the house was inside the house at the time of the fire but managed to escape safely.
The warrant states that medical personnel told him he was close to starvation, and had wasting disease, which is characterized by weight loss and muscle degradation, when he arrived at the hospital. The man was only 69 lbs tall and weighed 5 feet 9 inches.
He was diagnosed with depression and post-traumatic disorder, as well as smoke inhalation. Spagnolo stated that the man will need to undergo a lengthy physical and mental rehabilitation. He said the police were supporting him and that they had taken up a collection for him to purchase clothes and other items.
The man said to police that he had a constant hunger. He would steal food from the school kitchen, ask for food from his classmates, and eat food out of the trash when he was at school. Later, when he wasn’t in school anymore and was confined to his house, he used to get two sandwiches and water a day while locked up in his room.
Chief said that the only interaction the police had with the family was in 2005. The chief said that the only interaction with the family was in 2005, when a welfare check was conducted after schoolchildren who had been in his class before he left expressed concerns about him.
The family complained about the school officials who reported them to state officials of child welfare for the second and last time. Spagnolo stated that officers who visited the home spoke with the man and then the child. They reported that there was nothing to be concerned about.
The state Department of Children and Families (which investigates child abuse) said on Thursday that it had not yet found any evidence of the agency’s involvement in the case, but was continuing its search. The officials added that unsubstantiated reports of abuse or neglect are deleted five years after the investigation is complete.
The department released a statement saying, “We are saddened and shocked for the victim as well as the inhumane conditions he suffered.” The now adult victim, who has displayed incredible resilience and strength during this healing period, is in our hearts.
Tom Pannone told WVIT that when the man was a child at a Waterbury Elementary School, the staff noticed he was very small and thin. They made several calls to his stepmother and Department of Children and Families. Spagnolo stated that police were not aware of this information when they arrived at the man’s home in 2005.
Waterbury school officials didn’t immediately respond to emails seeking comment on Thursday.
WFSB reports that Sullivan’s attorney Jason Spilka said his client was stunned by the allegations, and denied them.
“Absolutely shocked, okay? Spilka stated that he was “absolutely shocked” by the allegations.
