Kimberly Sullivan Claims Her Late Husband Decided to Lock His Son in a Bedroom for 20 Years
"These allegations are horrific but there are two sides to every story," said Kimberly Sullivan's attorney.
Published April 17 2025, 5:58 p.m. ET
Anyone familiar with the story of the 32-year-old man held captive in his father and stepmother's house for 20 years, likens it to a horror movie. Similar examples can be found in John Carpenter's The People Under the Stairs or Don't Breathe, both of which weave terrifying tales of people taken hostage and tortured by their captors. On Feb. 17, 2025, life imitated art in Waterbury, Conn.
According to the Waterbury Police Department, they responded to a report of an active fire at a house owned by 56-year-old Kimberly Sullivan. The other occupant was an unidentified 32-year-old man. Police learned that the man set the fire because he wanted his "freedom," and claimed he had been locked in a bedroom for 20 years.
Sullivan and her late husband, the man's biological father, allegedly imprisoned him. Here's what we know.
Kimberly Sullivan married her late husband in January 1995.
Records obtained by the CT Post show that Kimberly Sullivan (née Boyle) married Kregg Sullivan on Jan. 21, 1995. Kregg had sole custody of his son from his first marriage to Tracy Vallerand, who told the outlet she gave up her parental rights because she believed he would be in a better place.
Kregg died in January 2024, and after she was arrested, Sullivan's lawyer told People that her client's late husband was behind the alleged abuse. "He was in control," said Ioannis A. Kaloidis, who said that when it came to the young man's care, Kregg made all the decisions.
Kaloidis also said it was Kregg who decided to pull his son out of school at age 11 and lock him in his bedroom.
In interviews with police, the victim said calls to the Department of Children and Families (DCF) were made after someone spotted the then-fourth grader eating from a trash can. DCF released a statement saying they had no record of these calls being made at that time.
The young man also alleged he hadn't showered in two years and had severe tooth decay. Kaloidis countered and said her client wasn't going to make a 32-year-old man bathe.
Kregg Sullivan's first wife said she wasn't allowed to see her son.
After Sullivan's first wife, Tracy Vallerand, gave up custody of the victim, she said her ex-husband never let her see him. "There were places I heard (Kregg Sullivan) took (our son) out on walks to, and I would hang there and wait to see if I could see them. He just didn't want to let anybody in," she told the CT Post.
Although the warrant claimed her son had "developmental issues," Vallerand said that was a lie. She said giving him up was the most "painful, emotional decision any mother can make," but at the time, she truly believed her son would have a better life with his father.
Kaloidis has urged the public to "keep an open mind" regarding this case.
"These allegations are horrific, but there are two sides to every story, and my client plans to defend herself against these allegations," she said.