Woman accused of holding stepson captive over 20 years in abusive conditions to go to trial in February

The case of a Connecticut woman accused of holding her stepson captive for over two decades is expected to go to trial in February.

A judge at the Waterbury Judicial District Courthouse received a series of confidential records in the case against Kimberly Sullivan at a hearing Tuesday. Sullivan wasn’t at the hearing.

Over the next several weeks, the judge is expected to review the records obtained via a state subpoena from the Department of Children and Families, the Waterbury Public Schools and an undisclosed treatment facility. He will then determine which ones can be used during the trial.

Sullivan’s case drew national attention after shocking details around the allegations that her stepson had been living in captivity since he was 11 began to emerge following her arrest in March 2025.

According to an affidavit, Sullivan’s 32-year-old stepson told police that he had spent almost his entire life being abused, starved and held in captivity — prompting him to intentionally start a fire in his room in order to regain his freedom.

At the home, police found the man severely malnourished, noting he had not received medical or dental care in years and had been subjected to “prolonged abuse, starvation…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/health