Overview

• Kimberly Sullivan, 56, has been charged with kidnapping and other offenses for allegedly holding her stepson captive for 20 years in Waterbury, Connecticut.
• The pre-trial hearing scheduled for April 22, 2025, will proceed behind closed doors without Sullivan in attendance.
• The survivor, a 32-year-old man who escaped in February by setting a fire, was found severely malnourished, weighing just 68 pounds at the time of his rescue.
• In his first public statement, the survivor asked to be called 'S,' asserting control over his life and identity after two decades of alleged abuse.
• The case has prompted public scrutiny of child welfare oversight, with calls for reforms in homeschooling regulations and welfare check protocols.