Latest news with #OfHorrors
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Yahoo
Connecticut house of horrors escapee's birth mom slams bail for accused stepmom
The biological mother of the man who was allegedly held captive for 20 years by his stepmother in her Waterbury, Connecticut, home lashed out at the accused woman in an interview with Fox News Digital. Tracy Vallerand, who lost custody of her son when he was 6 months old, slammed his stepmom, Kimberly Sullivan, calling her the "lowest of the low." Vallerand, who noted that she prefers to call Sullivan "it" rather than referring to her as a human being, said Sullivan is a flight risk and shouldn't have been allowed out on bail at all. 'Malnourished Man Held Captive By Stepmom For Decades Set Fire To Home To Escape: 'I Wanted My Freedom' Sullivan was released from jail on $300,000 bond after her March 12 arrest and is required to wear an ankle GPS monitor. Her attorney, Ioannis Kaloidis, recently filed a motion to have the ankle monitor requirement dropped. "He needs justice, and he needs to know that people are here for him," Vallerand said of her son. "Right now, he's 32 years old, so he has all the say. My God, he's 32, and he needs to learn to live his life. That is sad on so many different levels." Read On The Fox News App Vallerand was also critical of Kaloidis. "He's doing a good job for her, but he's literally at the bottom of the barrel with the clientele that he has," she said. But it's the lowest of the low that [Kaloidis] aims to be representing, which is pretty sad. I wouldn't be able to close my eyes at night doing that." Bodycam In Connecticut House Of Horrors Shows Suspect After Stepson's Fiery Escape Sullivan allegedly locked her 32-year-old stepson — Vallerand's biological son — in a windowless 8-foot by 9-foot storage closet with no air conditioning or heat and without access to a bathroom for 20 years. He was allegedly kept inside the closet 22-24 hours per day, receiving little food or water, and weighed only 68 pounds when he was rescued from the home after intentionally setting fire to it Feb. 27. In March, Sullivan was charged with first-degree assault, second-degree kidnapping, first-degree unlawful restraint, cruelty to persons and first-degree reckless endangerment. Vallerand said that during her son's childhood, she tried to reconnect with him multiple times, but that his father, Kregg Sullivan, would not allow it. Kregg died last year. When her son turned 18, Vallerand said she searched the web for him to try to reconnect with him. She couldn't find any records of him, which made her fear the worst. "Well, I mean, things that go through your head where you can't find somebody who's an adult, especially nowadays on social media, it's very rare that you would actually find zero carbon footprints," she said. "Did he run away? What else? So many things go through your head. Now, in this case, he didn't have any death records, so I knew he was still alive." Vallerand noted that her son's father was not technologically savvy, and she thought that perhaps her son simply took after his father in that regard. "A Child Called 'It'" Author Says Connecticut House Of Horrors Case Is Attempted Murder Kaloidis previously denied the allegations against his client in an interview with Fox News Digital. "This has been an extreme shock to her," he said of Sullivan. "She lived a relatively quiet life. Her side of the story is quite simple. She did not harm him. She did not restrain him. She did not imprison him." Kaloidis declined to comment through a spokesperson. Last week, Sullivan's stepson broke his silence, going only by the name "S." "I am much better and stronger than I was the day the first responders carried me out of my home. I am beyond grateful for the care I have received since then," he said in a statement. "To all the health care professionals who have helped and nurtured me, thank you. In addition to all of your care, I appreciated the chance to have my first ever birthday party to celebrate turning 32." "I also want to thank the first responders, the law enforcement investigators and everyone who is working to hold those responsible for my abuse accountable," he said. "Much has already been said that tells part of the story of the abuse I endured. Someday, perhaps my whole story will be told. "I ask everyone involved in my story to fully cooperate with the authorities who are helping me seek justice for these crimes. I also ask the public and the media to respect those investigations and my privacy as this process plays out. This isn't just a story. It's my life."Original article source: Connecticut house of horrors escapee's birth mom slams bail for accused stepmom
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Yahoo
Connecticut man who escaped house of horrors breaks silence after decades of stepmom's alleged abuse
The 32-year-old man who accused his stepmother, Kimberly Sullivan, of holding him captive for 20 years in their Waterbury, Connecticut, home, spoke for the first time since fleeing the home. The man, who wished to be identified only as "S," released a statement Tuesday through David Guarino of Survivors Say, who is representing him as a spokesman. "I am much better and stronger than I was the day the first responders carried me out of my home. I am beyond grateful for the care I have received since then," "S" said in the statement. "To all the health care professionals who have helped and nurtured me, thank you. In addition to all of your care, I appreciated the chance to have my first ever birthday party to celebrate turning 32." Connecticut House Of Horrors Stepmom Denies Child Abuse Accusations That Came As 'Extreme Shock': Attorney "I also want to thank the first responders, the law enforcement investigators and everyone who is working to hold those responsible for my abuse accountable. "Thank you to everyone at Safe Haven Waterbury and everyone who has given to the GoFundMe page that will help cover some of the overwhelming expenses I will face in the weeks, months and years to come. Read On The Fox News App "I am grateful to the conservator and my attorney, who will help guide me through the legal process ahead. They have been invaluable to me, and I am grateful for their tireless support." Bodycam In Connecticut House Of Horrors Shows Suspect After Stepson's Fiery Escape "Much has already been said that tells part of the story of the abuse I endured. Someday, perhaps my whole story will be told. "I ask everyone involved in my story to fully cooperate with the authorities who are helping me seek justice for these crimes. I also ask the public and the media to respect those investigations and my privacy as this process plays out. This isn't just a story. It's my life. "Thank you all for your thoughts and messages, your support and your continued prayers as I recover. Please forward any inquiries about my recovery, requests for information or interviews, or the process ahead to David Guarino at Survivors Say, who has volunteered to serve as my spokesman. Thank you." "A Child Called 'It'" Author Says Connecticut House Of Horrors Case Is Attempted Murder Guarino declined to comment further. "S" allegedly set fire to the home he shared with his stepmom on Feb. 27, telling first responders that he wanted his freedom. After an investigation, Sullivan was arrested on March 12 and charged with first-degree assault, second-degree kidnapping, first-degree unlawful restraint, cruelty to persons and first-degree reckless endangerment. According to an arrest warrant for Sullivan, "S" said he was held in a windowless 8-foot by 9-foot storage closet with no air conditioning or heat and without access to a bathroom for 20 years. He was allegedly kept inside the closet 22–24 hours per day. "S" told police he was allowed two sandwiches and two small water bottles each day, one of which he would use for bathing. He said he disposed of his waste using water bottles and newspaper. The man weighed less than 70 pounds when first responders found him after the fire. In an interview with Fox News Digital, Sullivan's attorney, Ioannis Kaloidis, denied that Sullivan knew anything about the alleged abuse. "I can tell you that the allegations were that this individual claims to have been imprisoned in that home up until the day of the fire," Kaloidis said. "And my client adamantly denies that there was any imprisonment. As for the whole history, there's a lot that I anticipate will come out over the course of the trial, hopefully, because I think that's the appropriate place for the release of any additional information." Fox News Digital reached out to Sullivan's legal article source: Connecticut man who escaped house of horrors breaks silence after decades of stepmom's alleged abuse
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Yahoo
Wealthy coastal enclave nanny charged with manslaughter in toddler's death
A nanny in Martha's Vineyard has been charged with manslaughter after allegedly leaving two young children who were under her care inside her SUV for several hours, resulting in the death of one of the children. Aimee Cotton, 41, was arrested on March 13 by authorities on charges of assault and battery on a child with injury and reckless endangerment, according to an arrest report from the Massachusetts State Police. She was later charged with manslaughter when one of the children, a 3-year-old, died on March 19. The child has not been named. "A Child Called 'It'" Author Says Connecticut House Of Horrors Case Is 'Attempted Murder' Cotton called the police in the early afternoon on March 13, reporting that "a child whom she was babysitting was not breathing and turning blue." The Oaks Bluff Police Department first responded to the call, and alerted the state police, who arrived shortly thereafter. The victim was initially taken to the Martha's Vineyard Hospital Emergency Room, and later transported by Boston Medflight helicopter to Massachusetts General Hospital in critical condition. Read On The Fox News App The victim died six days later. The arrest report indicates that Cotton first told responding officers that she and the children had had a relatively normal morning during which she attempted to take them for a walk, but scrapped the idea and took the children home when one of them would not cooperate. She said that she took the children back to her home, where they played with toys and ate lunch, and explained that shortly after noon, she began loading her vehicle with hockey equipment and changed the children's diapers in the process, before putting them in the vehicle. Utah Mommy Blogger Ruby Franke's Power, Public Image Allowed Child Abuse To Go 'Unchecked': Expert Cotton, who was described as "cooperative," told police the children were in the car alone for no more than 15 minutes, and that she called the police around 1:15 p.m. because one of the children looked "sick and ill." Shortly thereafter, police obtained a Nest home camera with Cotton's permission, which contained surveillance footage from outside the house. That footage told a completely different story. Police said that around 9:15 a.m., Cotton could be seen entering the driveway in her 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe. She allegedly spent 10 minutes unloading items from the car and bringing them inside, but neither of the children were removed from the car. Tennessee Pair Charged With Child Abuse For Locking Autistic Child In Storage Bin At Unsanitary Home Police said a period of nearly three hours passed without any activity on the Nest footage, before she began loading the SUV with the hockey equipment around noon. Over the course of the next hour, she loaded the vehicle and briefly brought the younger child, who survived, inside the house for about 10 minutes before returning that child to the car. That is when she called 911 to report the unresponsive victim. The next morning, state troopers brought Cotton in for questioning, where she capitulated and told officers that she left the children in the car for about three hours while she cooked herself food, attended to her personal hygiene, packed her son's hockey equipment and completed other chores. The arrest report noted that Cotton showed remorse, but also made excuses for her behavior. She was initially arrested on March 14 for assault and battery on a child with injury and reckless endangerment. She was booked into the Dukes County Jail and arraigned later that day. On March 20, the day after the child died, she was arraigned in Edgartown District Court on the charge of manslaughter. Cotton pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter charge and posted $21,000 bail. She was released with a GPS ankle monitor. She was also given a mandatory 6 p.m. curfew. Cotton faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Her next court date is scheduled for April 3. Harrison Barrow III, Cotton's attorney, declined to article source: Wealthy coastal enclave nanny charged with manslaughter in toddler's death
