A man who told police that he was held captive in a Connecticut home by his father and stepmother and given limited food for 20 years before being rescued in February recently celebrated what he called his first-ever birthday party as he turned 32 and wants people to be held responsible for what happened to him.
He also said he plans to change his name as he begins to take charge of his life and recovers both physically and mentally.
A nonprofit group, Survivors Say, released a statement by the man Tuesday, his first public comments since firefighters pulled him on Feb. 17 from a burning Waterbury home that police say he set on fire in a desperate attempt to win his freedom. Survivors Say says it offers support and resources to survivors, victims and families after tragedies.
“Please call me ‘S,’ ” the statement begins. “This is not the name given to me by my parents when I was born. I am choosing a new name for myself, and I will use that name as I reclaim control over my life and my future. My name is my choice, and it is the first of many choices I will make for myself now that I am free.”
The man spent time in a hospital and was later moved to another care center after being rescued from the home, where he said he was kept locked in a small room most of every day and not given enough food since he was 11. He weighed only about 69 pounds (31 kilograms) when he was brought to the hospital, where doctors told police the man was extremely malnourished and had other health and development problems.
His stepmother, Kimberly Sullivan, has been charged with kidnapping, felony assault, cruelty to persons and other crimes. She and her lawyer have denied that she kept the man locked up, and she has pleaded not guilty. Sullivan told police that the man was free to move about the house as he pleased, according to an arrest warrant. The man’s father died last year.
“I am a survivor of more than 20 years of captivity and domestic abuse,” the man said in the statement. “I was held prisoner in my home from the time I was taken out of the fourth grade at age 11 until two months ago at age 31 when I purposely set the fire that helped set me free.”
“I am speaking out today to begin the process of reclaiming my life and to have my say in how my story is told,” he said.
A spokesperson for Survivors Say, David Guarino, said it provides support to survivors and victims at no charge. He declined further comment and referred to the man’s statement.
The man told his story to police after his rescue. He said he was locked in the small room with no heat or air conditioning for most of every day, allowed out only briefly to do chores, and was hungry all the time. He received no medical or dental care, and many of his teeth were decayed, police said.
He was unenrolled from Waterbury’s public school system in 2004, after his father and stepmother complained that school officials were reporting concerns about his well-being to the state Department of Children and Families.
Police visited the home twice at the time and reported no concerns. The Department of Children and Families also visited the home, but the man said Sullivan told him to say everything was fine, according to the arrest warrant. He also said Sullivan threatened him with even less food if he ever told anyone about what was going on in the house.
State and local authorities have been looking into how this could have happened, and some are calling for stricter oversight of homeschooling and a review of the agency’s actions.
The man said he is feeling much better and stronger. He thanked a variety of people, from first responders to medical care professionals to people and groups helping him recover. He said medical staff organized his first-ever birthday party recently.
He further thanked Safe Haven of Greater Waterbury, which helps victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault. The group has been raising money for his care, collecting just under $270,000 on a GoFundMe page. The money that will go toward his medical and dental care, counseling and therapy, living expenses and expected legal fees, the group said.
“I ask everyone involved in my story to fully cooperate with the authorities who are helping me seek justice for these crimes,” he said. “I also ask the public and the media to respect those investigations and my privacy as this process plays out. This isn’t just a story. It’s my life.”
He also thanked the public for their thoughts, messages, support and prayers.
