Connecticut School Reported Abuse 20 Times Before Boy’s Alleged 20-Year Confinement, Step-Mom Sentenced

A Waterbury man spent more than 20 years in captivity as his stepmother allegedly locked him in his room for hours each day. The case came to light when the 31-year-old victim, identified only as ‘S’, intentionally set a fire in his room so that firefighters would rescue him.

However, a complaint filed with the Connecticut Claims Commissioner’s Office alleges the ordeal could have been prevented if the Department of Children and Families (DCF) had acted on warnings from school authorities years earlier.

The victim’s court-appointed conservator filed the claim, saying Barnard Elementary School reported the abuse to the DCF, but the agency failed to act. S was removed from the school in 2005 when he was 11 after he was found eating from the trash.

The claim cites that Tom Pannone, the school principal at the time, made at least 20 calls to the DCF, but no action was taken to protect the child. “Pannone indicated in an interview that he knew 'S' was being abused and reported the abuse to DCF, and not a d---- thing was done,” the claim said.

“[He also] indicated that 'S' was very small and thin and reported to administrators that he wasn't allowed food at the family home since he was 5,” the conservator said. After he stopped attending school, S’s stepmother, Kimberly Sullivan, allegedly began locking him in his room for 22 to 24 hours a day.

As a result, the victim weighed only 68 pounds at the time of his rescue despite being 5'9" tall. Firefighters said he was severely malnourished and his teeth were rotten. His conservator has filed a claim seeking permission to pursue a lawsuit against the state of Connecticut.

The conservator’s lawyer, Kristan Exner, said she will seek $50,000 in damages on S’s behalf. The DCF has responded by saying that Connecticut law at that time only allowed them to interview a child without parental consent in cases of suspected abuse, not neglect.

The victim was freed on February 17, 2025, after being taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation. According to police, he was forced to live in an 8-by-9-foot room since the age of 3. The room, a storage space with angled ceilings, lacked heating or air conditioning.

Meanwhile, his stepmother, Sullivan, was arrested and charged with two counts of kidnapping. She has entered a not guilty plea and will face trial in the coming months. Sullivan is currently out on bail after posting a $300,000 bond. Her lawyer denies any wrongdoing and says there is no evidence suggesting that S was locked in his room.

“He’s going to need to get on the stand. They’re going to need to present evidence he was held captive. I’ve yet to see locks, restraints or credible witnesses,” the lawyer, Ioannis Kaloidis, said in a statement to Eyewitness News.