‘Horror movie’: Inside US house where man was allegedly held captive for decades

New photos have shed light on the shocking living conditions where a US man was allegedly held captive by his stepmother for decades.

Disturbing new photos have shed light on the shocking living conditions where a US man was allegedly held captive by his stepmother before he escaped by setting the property alight.

Kimberly Sullivan, 56, from Connecticut, pleaded not guilty on Friday to several charges, including first-degree assault and second-degree kidnapping, after her 32-year-old stepson told police he had been held captive for decades.

Police allege the stepson had been subjected to “prolonged abuse, starvation, severe neglect and inhumane treatment”.

“The suffering this victim endured for over 20 years is both heartbreaking and unimaginable,” Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo said in a statement.

Kimberly Sullivan, 56, has pleaded not guilty. Picture: Waterbury Police

Disturbing new photos were released by police. Picture: Waterbury Police Department/AP

The stepson is alleged to have set fire to her home on February 17. He weighed just 31kg when firefighters found him, according to court documents.

The man told police he had been held captive since he was 11 years old.

“I wanted my freedom,” he told first responders, according to the Waterbury Police Department.

“The facts of this case, quite frankly, the facts are something out of a horror movie. That’s without exaggeration,” Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Don Therkildsen said, according to CT Insider.

New photos released by police, which were obtained by US media through a Freedom of Information request, show rooms cluttered with clothes and other household items, and doors with locks on the outside.

Walls and various pieces of furniture also appear blacked and coated with ash from the fire.

Photos show rooms cluttered with clothes and other household items. Picture: Waterbury Police Department/AP

The man told police he had been held captive since he was 11 years old. Picture: Waterbury Police Department/AP

‘Like a survivor of Auschwitz’

The man told police he was kept prisoner in a small room without heat or air conditioning and provided limited food. He did not visit a doctor or dentist and pieces of his teeth would at time break off on the portions of food he was given.

At times, he drank out of a toilet bowl as he only received two cups of water per day, according to a warrant affidavit.

according to the affidavit, he was also forced to use bottles and newspapers when he wanted to use the bathroom.

“He was, without exaggeration, akin to a survivor of Auschwitz’s death camp,” the prosecutor said.

At times, he drank out of a toilet bowl as he only received two cups of water per day. Picture: Waterbury Police Department/AP

Walls and various pieces of furniture shown in photos appear blacked and coated with ash from the fire. Picture: Waterbury Police Department/AP

The victim told police his confinement worsened after his biological father, who he claimed knew about his treatment, died last year.

His stepsisters also allegedly knew about his treatment, CBS News reports.

The sate’s Department of Children and Families (DCF) conducted welfare checks on the victim when he was taken out of school two decades.

In a statement last week, the department expressed sorrow for the “unspeakable conditions” the victim was subjected to but said it had no record of any reports being filed.

The man told police he was kept prisoner in a small room without heat or airconditioning and provided limited food. Picture: Waterbury Police Department/AP

The victim told police his confinement worsened after his biological father, who he claimed knew about his treatment, died last year. Picture: Waterbury Police Department/AP

“The [DCF) has looked extensively at our current and historical databases and, to date, have been unable to locate any records pertaining to this family nor any records connected to the names of others who have indicated they made reports to our Department,” the statement read

Victim allegedly started the blaze with his father’s lighter

According to the warrant, the man allegedly started the house fire using hand sanitiser, paper and a lighter he found in his late father’s jacket.

Mr Therkildsen said the man started the blaze “knowing he very well could have died”.

First responders said they found the 32-year-old in the “foetal position” under a table in the kitchen.

“The victim was curled up in a little ball underneath the table. Then I went up to him, scooped him up and just took him out the front door,” Firefighter Gabriel Goja told NBC Connecticut.

Sullivan’s lawyer has denied the allegations against his client, who was arrested on March 12.

The victim’s biological mother, who surrendered custody of her son over 30 years ago, attended court when Sullivan pleaded not guilty last week.

When asked by reporters about a message she would send to her son, she said, “That I love him and I’m sorry he had to go through this”.

A Superior Court Judge ordered Sullivan to wear an electronic GPS monitoring device while she is released on bail.

She is due back in court on April 22.

Originally published as ‘Horror movie’: Inside US house where man was allegedly held captive for decades