Victim weighed only 31 kilos Woman allegedly locked up her stepson for 20 years
His stepmother is said to have locked him in the house and severely abused him for over 20 years before a now 32-year-old man freed himself by setting fire to the house. The stepmother has now been arrested.
13.03.2025, 20:42
13.03.2025, 22:43
dpa
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- A woman in the US state of Connecticut allegedly locked up, starved and abused her stepson at home for 20 years.
- The now 32-year-old was able to free himself by setting a fire. At the time of his rescue, he weighed only 31 kilos.
- The stepmother has now been arrested. The woman's defense denied the allegations.
A woman has been arrested in the US state of Connecticut for allegedly imprisoning and abusing her stepson for over 20 years. The now 32-year-old was only able to free himself by starting a fire. When the fire department rescued him, he declared: "I want my freedom".
The man was completely emaciated and weighed just under 31 kilograms, reported the NBC channel and other media. He had told the police that his stepmother had held him captive since he was eleven years old. A prosecutor was quoted by NBC as saying that this was "like something out of a horror movie".
In an interview with the station, the boy's former elementary school principal described how he had called Child Protective Services more than 20 times to no avail, as well as Kimberly S., the stepmother, several times. He and other teachers had noticed that something was wrong since the boy was five years old. He was always hungry and stole food from the garbage can. Some of them then started bringing food for the boy.
School principal apologizes
When the boy was ten years old, he disappeared from school. He was told that the boy was at another school and later that he was being taught at home, the principal reported. He had tried in vain to locate the boy. He apologized in the interview for not having done more. Neighbors reported that they had never seen the boy.
The man had already set the fire in mid-February and the stepmother was arrested on Wednesday, the police announced. Investigators had established that the stepson had been mistreated for a long time, had been starved and had been treated inhumanely. He had been found in a severely emaciated condition and had not received any medical care during this time. The woman's defense rejected the allegations.