Photos from the Waterbury, Conn., home where a man was allegedly held captive for 20 years were released Monday by police.
The pictures depict a squalid living space, with junk strewn across furniture and floors throughout the home. One photo of a tiny bathroom shows no open space to stand, a giant wooden plank in the bathtub and cardboard on the floor.
Cops also took several photos of locks on doors throughout the home. Waterbury police did not provide additional information with the pictures, so it is unclear if any depict the room where the man was reportedly held.
A photo of a bedroom shows various items on the bed and several other things haphazardly placed inside and on top of bins, with the floor barely visible. The bedroom appears to be larger than the room where the man was held, according to the police description.
The man’s stepmother, Kimberly Sullivan, has been accused of holding him prisoner inside a 9-by-8 room for 20 years. She pleaded not guilty Friday. Sullivan’s stepson has not been publicly identified in consideration of his privacy.
Sullivan, 57, was released on bail after she was arrested on March 12. The appalling situation was first discovered on Feb. 17, when the man started a fire in the home in an effort to escape, police said.
At Friday’s hearing, prosecutors said the man questioned why Sullivan was free after he spent 20 years in captivity.
“[Sullivan] should be imprisoned just like she kept my son,” the victim’s biological mother said at the hearing. “It’s disgusting. Everybody that was in that household should be in prison, in solitary confinement and fed two cups of water a day.”
