I Looked Like an Auschwitz Survivor” / Stepmother Isolated Him for More Than 20 Years, 37-Year-Old’s Shocking Account: I Ate from the Trash and Drank Water…

A severe case of abuse in the US has been brought before the courts. A 57-year-old woman is accused of keeping her husband’s son isolated for more than 20 years, depriving him of food, medical care and the basic conditions necessary to live.

The 34-year-old man managed to escape on February 17, 2025, after setting fire to the home where he was being held. He told authorities that starting the fire was the only way he could free himself.

“I wanted my freedom,” he told police officers. According to his account, he used printer paper, hand sanitizer and a lighter to start the fire.

He testified that he was locked up for between 22 and 24 hours each day in a space measuring just 6.7 square meters. He learned what year it was only by listening to the radio, while the room was covered in filth when he was discovered.

Investigators said the 34-year-old, whose identity has been made public only by the initial “S,” was 1.68 meters tall and weighed just 34 kilograms.

According to police, he had been held captive for more than two decades and subjected to starvation, persistent mistreatment, severe neglect and inhumane conditions.

His usual ration consisted of one or two sandwiches a day. At other times, to survive, he was forced to eat waste found in trash cans and drink water from the toilet.

According to the 34-year-old, the conditions of his isolation worsened further after his biological father died in 2024. He said he did not dare ask for help because he was threatened with being deprived of food or locked up for even longer periods.

He spent his days listening to the radio or counting vehicles traveling along the road, he told investigators. He cut his own hair, had not bathed in years and had never received dental care.

He used plastic bottles and newspapers to relieve himself. He had also created an improvised mechanism to drain urine outside through the window.

In his testimony, the 34-year-old said his father and two sisters knew what was happening but did nothing to help him. Whenever visitors came to the home, he was threatened into remaining silent.

“They kept me hidden my entire life,” he told investigators.

Authorities say the first report concerning the family was made in 2005, when the school the boy attended raised concerns about his condition.

Tom Panone, the principal of the elementary school the child attended, said staff had noticed that he was extremely thin. They had also seen him frequently stealing food or searching for something to eat in trash cans.

“We knew something was terribly wrong. We reported it, but nothing was done,” Panone said.

Highlighting the extraordinarily inhumane nature of the treatment, prosecutors compared the 34-year-old’s appearance and condition to that of someone who had survived the Auschwitz concentration camp.

Kimberly Sullivan, 57, has denied all the allegations against her. Her attorney, Ioannis Kaloidis, described the claims as “outrageous” and “untrue,” making it clear that his client would not accept a plea deal.

The next hearing in the case is expected to be held on September 4. If the court finds her guilty, Sullivan could face a lengthy prison sentence.