Going West: True Crime

Episode 582: Kimberly Sullivan – Connecticut House of Horrors
Release Date: February 13, 2026
Hosts: Daphne Woolsoncroft & Heath Merryman

Episode Overview

This chilling episode of Going West delves into the "Connecticut House of Horrors"—the shocking survivor story of S., a man held captive and brutally abused for nearly three decades by his stepmother, Kimberly Sullivan, and father, Craig Sullivan. Hosts Daphne and Heath guide listeners through the heartbreaking journey of S.’s childhood isolation, the systemic failures that enabled it, and his courageous escape sparked by setting his own room on fire at age 31.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

The Sullivan Family and Setting

• Location & Background:

  • The events occurred at 2 Blake Street, Waterbury, CT (04:01), a modest home burdened by financial struggles.
  • Kimberly (née Soto Santo) lived with husband Craig, their two daughters, and Craig’s son, S.
  • Financial hardship, bankruptcy, and toxic family dynamics were part of the backdrop (04:45).

• Kimberly’s Personality:

  • Former coworkers described Kimberly as “flinty,” “aggressive,” “always lying,” and “argumentative” (05:30).
  • Resentment toward her caregiving duties for a wheelchair-bound Craig was noted (06:01).
  • She spoke lovingly of her daughters but “never mentioned” her stepson, S. (06:31).

Early Victimhood and Family Estrangement

• S’s Biological Mother, Tracy:

  • Tracy suffered mental health challenges after losing daughter Heather to foster care (07:02).
  • Relinquished S to Craig, believing him to be more capable (08:10), but deeply regretted being cut off from her son (08:49).
  • Heather, S’s half-sister, searched for him for years without success (09:39).

• Craig’s Actions:

  • After gaining custody, Craig severed all connections between S and his biological family (09:39).
  • Kimberly and Craig lied, saying S had left home, preventing Heather from contact (10:45).

Escalating Abuse and School Warnings

• Abuse Begins:

  • Food and water were routinely withheld from S as early as age three, coinciding with Kimberly’s arrival in the household (12:12).
  • S began sneaking food, leading to harsh punishments (11:29).

• School Interventions:

  • Faculty at Barnard Elementary noticed S’s malnourishment, pale appearance, and hunger-driven behaviors (13:43).
  • Principal Tom Panone observed S drinking from urinal freshwater because he was too small to reach the fountain (14:34).
  • School staff called Department of Children and Families (DCF) multiple times, but after initial investigations, S was pulled out of school and ostensibly "homeschooled" (17:03).

  Tom Panone (school principal): “[S] was constantly hungry. These teachers were constantly bringing food in for the kid… We knew it. We reported it. Not a damn thing was done. That’s the tragedy.” (16:41)

• Homeschool Cover-Up:

  • S’s education ceased; he received only token worksheets, never advanced, and soon lost all outside contact (18:07).
  • School and police could never confirm his enrollment elsewhere; neighbors and classmates lost track of him (19:09, 21:13).

The Captivity Years

• Confinement Intensifies:

  • By 11, S was almost never allowed outside; his room was locked from the outside (22:13).
  • Daily “meals”: 2 sandwiches and a maximum of two small cups of water (22:13).
  • Occasionally, with Kimberly out, Craig let S sit in the living room or do chores (22:34).
  • When visitors came, S was to remain silent, hidden (23:04).

  Neighbor Paula Depina: “He was on the second floor in the window, looking out like a little ghost—he was pale, like white.” (23:58)

• Isolation from Siblings:

  • S’s half-sisters attended private school, while he was forbidden from education or social interaction. Their role is unclear but remains a source of anger and speculation (19:35, 24:10).

• Father’s Death & Increasing Danger:

  • Craig died in January 2024, leaving S completely at the mercy of Kimberly (24:24).

The Escape: House Fire and Rescue

• Setting the Fire:

  • On February 17, 2025, S set fire to his own room to force a rescue, risking his life to escape (28:04).
  • His room was locked from the outside; he hoped firefighters would have to break in (36:12).

  S (through investigators): “I wanted my freedom.” (28:48)

• Discovery by First Responders:

  • Paramedics found a malnourished, 68-pound, 31-year-old S in the fetal position under a table (27:09).
  • His hair was matted, teeth decaying, and he hadn’t bathed in a year (37:17).
  • Forensic examination verified S’s story: locks on the outside, nailed-shut plywood windows, a non-functioning bathroom, makeshift urine funnel, and containers of human waste (37:51).

• Police Actions:

  • Kimberly was arrested March 12, 2025, and charged with unlawful restraint, assault, kidnapping, reckless endangerment, and cruelty (41:08).

  Police Chief Fred Spinolo: “33 years of law enforcement—this is the worst treatment of humanity I’ve ever witnessed. It’s really hard to talk about still.” (42:56)

• Kimberly’s Defense Attempts:

  • Kimberly claimed to be “blown away” by the charges (48:42).
  • Her attorney argued she “was not the villain” and blamed the now-deceased Craig, an assertion hosts thoroughly refuted (53:14).

  Prosecutors: “[S] was, without exaggeration, akin to a survivor at Auschwitz death camp.” (48:52)

Systemic Failures & Community Response

• Repeated System Failures:

  • DCF and police wellness checks repeatedly failed to uncover ongoing abuse; S was coached to lie (19:53, 21:30).
  • After being pulled from school, S became “invisible.”

• Community Anger:

  • Public outrage erupted, especially after Kimberly’s release on bond, possibly funded by her daughters. Community demanded accountability from all complicit parties (43:53).

Reflections, Motives, and Speculation

• Why Did Nobody Help?

  • S’s sisters, and even Kimberly’s mother, allegedly knew of the abuse. Their reasons for silence remain unclear—fear, manipulation, or complicity are all possible (40:46, 44:34).

  Daphne: “She bragged about her daughters… and she never mentioned S once. He was like invisible to her. She didn’t care about him and she abused him horribly.” (44:51)

• Kimberly’s Past:

  • This was not Kimberly’s first brush with disturbing crime. As a teen, she was last seen with best friend Laura Ann Melio before Laura’s rape and murder in 1986—a crime for which a different perpetrator was convicted, but for which Laura’s family holds Kimberly indirectly responsible due to her abandoning Laura at a park at night (50:05).

S’s Recovery and Voice

• Survival and Hope:

  • S is living under a new identity, receiving medical and psychological help, and working with Waterbury’s Safe Haven program.
  • He released a powerful statement reclaiming his story and expressing gratitude for his rescuers (55:47):

  S (public statement):
  “Please call me S. This is not the name given to me by my parents when I was born. I am choosing a new name for myself and I will use that name as I reclaim control over my life and my future… 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… I appreciated the chance to have my first ever birthday party to celebrate turning 32…” (55:47)

• Detective Steve Brownell:

  “Considering what he’s been through, it’s really about his spirit. When anybody's around him… everybody’s trying to get him to the future.” (57:26)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “She wasn’t well liked. She was constantly lying, argumentative with other people.” — Lee Wassell, Kimberly’s former coworker (05:44)
• “He was on the second floor in the window, looking out like a little ghost—he was pale, like white…” — Neighbor Paula Depina (23:58)
• “[S] was, without exaggeration, akin to a survivor at Auschwitz death camp.” — Prosecutors (48:52)
• “I was thinking that I was giving my son a better chance at a full life. If I had known... I just can’t fathom… When he is healthier and he is stronger, if he wants a relationship with me, I am right here.” — S’s biological mother, Tracy (47:25)
• “I am a survivor of more than 20 years of captivity and domestic abuse. I was held prisoner in my home from the time I was taken out of the fourth grade at age 11 until two months ago at age 31, when I purposefully set the fire that helped set me free.” — S (55:47)

Key Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment Summary | |------------|--------------------------------------------------------| | 04:01 | Introduction to the case and key family members | | 13:43 | Teachers’ early suspicions and failed interventions | | 21:13 | S’s removal from school, homeschool charade | | 24:24 | Confinement during and after Craig’s death | | 28:04 | S sets fire for rescue and details his escape | | 37:17 | Paramedics discover S’s condition, home inspection | | 42:56 | Police and community reaction to the revelations | | 47:25 | S’s mother Tracy reacts to his rescue | | 48:52 | Prosecutors liken S’s survival to Holocaust prisoners | | 55:47 | S’s public statement after rescue | | 57:26 | Detective Brownell on S’s resilience |

Takeaways

• Systemic failure over decades allowed unimaginable abuse to go undetected or unpunished.
• Survivor’s courage: S’s ingenuity and bravery in setting the fire risked his life but finally secured his freedom.
• Community accountability: Listeners are left questioning how many people—within the family, neighborhood, and institutions—could have intervened but didn’t.
• Unanswered questions remain about S’s siblings’ role or knowledge in his captivity.

Tone & Closing

Daphne and Heath expertly balance outrage, empathy, and incredulity, guiding listeners through a tale as tragic as it is astonishing. Their language is candid, expressing both their heartbreak for the victim and furious condemnation of the abusers and systemic shortcomings. The episode closes with hope for S’s recovery and a promise to update listeners when Kimberly Sullivan’s trial proceeds.

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