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A man rescued from a burning home in Connecticut revealed a harrowing tale of being held captive in a single room for 20 years by his father and stepmother, enduring cruelty and constant hunger.
The man, identified as "Male Victim 1," says his confinement started at age 11, locked in a room without proper living conditions, limited food, and water, resorting to extreme measures to dispose of waste and maintain personal hygiene.
Medical personnel found the man near starvation, weighing only 69 pounds at 5 feet 9 inches tall, suffering from wasting syndrome, smoke inhalation, post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression, requiring extensive physical and mental treatment.
The stepmother, Kimberly Sullivan, faces charges of kidnapping and cruelty to persons, but her lawyer, Ioannis Kaloidis, asserts her innocence, declaring that she is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Despite some interactions with the police in 2005, including a welfare check and a harassment complaint against school officials, authorities are investigating how such severe neglect and abuse went unnoticed for years, with the state Department of Children and Families searching for any records of involvement with the family.
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