“You don’t disappear off the face of the Earth at 10 years old,” former Waterbury principal Tom Pannone told NBC Connecticut. The ex-principal is referring to the 32-year-old stepson of 56-year-old Kimberly Sullivan, who reportedly locked him up and kept him a secret for his entire life. “You knew something was wrong. It was grossly wrong,” Pannone remarked, recalling how the abused stepson was thin and frail when he attended elementary school. However, by the fifth grade, he was never seen again.
After being held captive for 20 years in an 8-foot-by-9-foot room with no heat or AC, Sullivan’s stepson finally managed to escape and tell his story. Police reports say that the tortured victim had “endured prolonged abuse, starvation, severe neglect and inhumane treatment,” all of which left him weighing only 68 pounds when he fled captivity. A Connecticut prosecutor says the situation is “something out of a horror movie.”
Several People Knew But Did Nothing to Help
“We knew it. We reported it,” stated Pannone, and claims to have called the DCF (Department of Children and Families) at least 20 times. Shockingly, “Not a damn thing was done. That’s the tragedy of the whole thing,” the former Connecticut principal lamented. The DCF argues it can’t say anything on the matter “due to confidentiality laws.” The New York Post reports that the stepson’s father passed away last year, after which Sullivan’s cruelty heightened. She became more restrictive and kept him locked away between 22-24 hours a day. The food she provided was meager, and the stepson was never provided proper dental care, causing his rotting teeth to sometimes break when eating.
Another startling aspect of this Connecticut man’s horrendous imprisonment and torture was that his late father and two half-sisters knew everything about what was going on but did nothing to help. “If his father died, then why didn’t she start treating him better? No excuse, lady. You’re cruel 😮,” exclaims a top YouTube comment. “This MONSTER should serve life in prison with no possibility of parole!” chimes in another.
Many Redditors discussing the horrific situation talk about how the DCF is just as guilty as the cruel stepmom or silent half-sisters. “School attendance serves as a way of keeping eyes on children who are potentially being abused,” the top comment argues. The fact that neither the state nor the DCF did anything to check on this missing stepson makes them liable for a legitimate lawsuit. Hopefully, both the victim and the evil stepmom receive justice.
