Kimberly Sullivan, a woman accused of holding her son hostage inside her Waterbury, Connecticut home, appeared in court Thursday to be arraigned on new charges brought forth by the prosecution. She now faces two charges of first-degree kidnapping, in addition to charges of assault, unlawful restraint, and intentional cruelty to persons.

New Charges Against Waterbury Woman

These new charges closely resemble the ones filed against her last year when her son was first discovered in the home, but have been updated to reflect newly obtained information. That information has yet to be made available to the public.

The now 33-year-old victim asked to be referred to as “S” since his rescue over a year ago in February 2025. He was rescued by firefighters who were responding to a fire at his address. The alleged victim told investigators he intentionally set the fire so he could escape, as he had been locked inside for more than 20 years. However, Sullivan has denied any wrongdoing.

“We are really trying to see what evidence they have and what evidence they are going to produce at trial. I don’t know what’s in there. We’ll know when we see them,” Sullivan’s attorney, Ioannis Kalodis, told reporters outside the courthouse following her appearance Thursday.

“This wasn’t true then, it isn’t true now,” he added. When “S” was recused, he only weighed 68 pounds. Firefighters thought they were saving a child from a burning home, but instead discovered he was a grown man. When this detail was noted to Kalodis, he responded, “We’ll see,” while shrugging his shoulders. 

Sullivan Retreats Into Hiding

Sullivan appeared in court for less than two minutes on Thursday, only to discuss logistics with her attorney for obtaining her stepson’s medical records as they prepare for trial. The defense won a major legal breakthrough in October when a judge granted them access to obtain the medical records of her stepson after her attorneys argued the normally confidential information was crucial for her case.

As she left the courthouse, the 57-year-old woman was seen rushing to her car and ducking out of view. She refused to answer any questions along the lines of “What’s wrong with you? Why did you do that to your stepson?”, concealing her face with sunglasses and a hood.

She was released from jail after posting a $300,000 bond and denies the charges, even the new ones. Kalodis said the newly filed charges do not change anything, and his client continues to claim her innocence, but she went into hiding. It is unclear where she has been living, but the home she shared with her stepson is no longer habitable.

“As you can imagine, any time your face is plastered all over the news, and you become public enemy number one, it does make it difficult to go out and resume a normal life,” he explained.

Connecticut’s House of Horrors’

Sullivan is accused of locking her stepson in a filthy room in their home from the time he was 10 years old, only allowing him out for a few hours to do chores. Her stepson intentionally set the house on fire to escape over 20 years later, and when he was rescued, he described the horrors he faced throughout the last two decades.

“S” recalled when he was taken out of a school as a young boy, and then sent to the upstairs storage room to live as an alleged prisoner. Now, he is free to live his life how he chooses and remains in an undisclosed location. He is reportedly recovering well after being hospitalized following his rescue, and as part of Sullivan’s bond release, she is not allowed to contact him.

Sullivan is scheduled to appear back in court on April 30, 2026, and has pleaded not guilty to all charges,  including kidnapping, assault, unlawful restraint, and cruelty to persons.