Overview

• The victim, now 32, told authorities he had been held captive by his stepmother, Kimberly Sullivan, since he was 11 years old, enduring severe neglect and abuse.
• The man set fire to his room in February in a desperate attempt to escape, later telling first responders he wanted his freedom.
• Sullivan has been charged with assault, kidnapping, unlawful restraint, cruelty, and reckless endangerment but denies the allegations, claiming her late husband dictated the boy's upbringing.
• Authorities described the victim's condition as severely emaciated, with mental and physical trauma comparable to a Holocaust survivor, weighing just 68 pounds at the time of his escape.
• Critics have pointed to Connecticut's unregulated homeschooling system as a potential factor that allowed the alleged abuse to go undetected for years.