Waterbury, Conn. — A Connecticut guy who stated he used to be held captive for twenty years used to be rescued after environment hearth to his room and telling first responders he did it to realize his freedom, police stated Wednesday.
The person’s stepmother used to be charged with cruelty and kidnapping.
Waterbury first responders rescued the emaciated 32-year-old guy from an upstairs room when they had been deployed to a area hearth remaining month, police stated in a observation. Whilst being handled for smoke inhalation, he printed that he deliberately set the blaze.
“I sought after my freedom,” the person stated, in keeping with police. He stated he were held captive since he used to be about 11 years outdated.
An investigation printed that the person, whose identify used to be now not launched, “were held in captivity for over twenty years, enduring extended abuse, hunger, critical overlook, and inhumane remedy,” police stated, including that he had now not won clinical or dental care all the way through that point.
“The struggling this sufferer continued for over twenty years is each heartbreaking and impossible,” Leader Fernando Spagnolo stated in a observation.
Kimberly Sullivan, 56, known as the person’s stepmother, used to be charged with attack, kidnapping, illegal restraint, cruelty and reckless endangerment. She used to be arraigned Wednesday and held in lieu of $300,000 bond.
Waterbury Police Division by way of AP 
She owns the house and used to be in the home when the fireplace began however evacuated safely, CBS Hartford, Conn. affiliate WFSB-TV reports.
The person “lit a hearth with some hand sanitizer, some paper from a printer, and he lit that fireside whilst he used to be locked in that room from the out of doors. He lit that fireside really well understanding he may just die, however he were locked within the room for twenty years, and for twenty years he’d been looking to get out of that room,” a prosecutor stated in court docket Wednesday, in keeping with the station.
Sullivan’s legal professional, Ioannis Kaloidis, stated her shopper used to be “surprised to listen to the allegations” and denies them.
“What she indicated to me used to be that they had been completely now not true, and as we get additional information we intend to place up a energetic protection,” Kaloidis informed The Related Press via telephone. “However she’s adamant she didn’t do the issues that she’s accused of.”
He stated he used to be nonetheless amassing data and could not right away say whether or not someone else lived in the house.
In court docket, WFSB stories, Sullivan’s legal professional stated, “Completely now not true. (The person) used to be now not locked in a room. She didn’t restrain him in any respect. She supplied meals and he or she supplied safe haven and he or she has blown away via those allegations. Completely now not.”
When he used to be taken to the medical institution, he best weighed about 68 kilos, WFSB famous.
“He used to be, with out exaggeration, comparable to a survivor of Auschwitz’s dying camp,” the prosecutor stated.
