Overview

• Kimberly Sullivan, 56, has pleaded not guilty to charges including kidnapping, assault, and cruelty related to allegations of imprisoning her stepson for over two decades.
• The 32-year-old victim, who weighed just 68-70 pounds at the time of his rescue, described years of severe neglect, starvation, and confinement in a locked room.
• A judge denied prosecutors' request for house arrest but ordered Sullivan to wear a GPS monitoring device while free on bail, citing the presumption of innocence.
• The Connecticut Department of Children and Families is reviewing archived records after earlier claims of no documentation, raising questions about past oversight failures.
• The case has sparked renewed calls for reforms in child welfare systems and homeschooling regulations to prevent similar tragedies in the future.