CT Stepmom abuses 32 year old stepson

Connecticut mom allegedly held gaunt stepson captive for decades before he lit fire to escape ‘inhumane’ conditions: ‘Something out of a horror movie’

“I wanted my freedom,” the stepson said, explaining that he was held captive since he was about 11 years old, according to police.

www.aol.com

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

School officials contacted DCF 20 times before boy spent 2 decades in bedroom: claim

Police observed an 'extremely emaciated' man being taken from the home after it caught fire in February 2025.

abcnews4.com

School officials contacted DCF 20 times before boy spent 2 decades in bedroom: claim
School officials contacted the Department of Children and Families 20 times before a boy spent two decades captive in a room, according to a recently filed claim.


An arrest warrant reviewed by PEOPLE described the room as an eight-by-nine-foot storage space with angled ceilings.

According to the publication, a court-appointed conservator for the man, who is referred to in the documents as "S," has filed a claim seeking permission to sue the State of Connecticut for its alleged failure to remove the man from Sullivan's care, despite school officials making 20 calls to the Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF) decades prior to his rescue.

The claim states that Tom Pannone, who was the principal of Barnard Elementary School when the man was a student, "indicated in an interview that he knew 'S' was being abused and reported the abuse to DCF, and not a damn thing was done." Pannone further indicated that "'S' was very small and thin and reported to administrators that he wasn't allowed food at the family home since he was 5." Pannone reportedly said that "school officials called DCF at least 20 times" in regard to the situation, per the publication.

The claim alleges that if DCF had properly investigated early reports of abuse, the man would have been "freed and allowed to live a normal life outside of captivity, without torture or abuse."

Exner told the publication that she will be seeking at least $50,000 in damages on behalf of the man. PEOPLE noted that the filing must first be approved by the commissioner's office before she would be allowed to formally proceed with a lawsuit.

 

[Kimster]

School officials contacted DCF 20 times before boy spent 2 decades in bedroom: claim

Police observed an 'extremely emaciated' man being taken from the home after it caught fire in February 2025.

abcnews4.com

School officials contacted DCF 20 times before boy spent 2 decades in bedroom: claim
School officials contacted the Department of Children and Families 20 times before a boy spent two decades captive in a room, according to a recently filed claim.


An arrest warrant reviewed by PEOPLE described the room as an eight-by-nine-foot storage space with angled ceilings.

According to the publication, a court-appointed conservator for the man, who is referred to in the documents as "S," has filed a claim seeking permission to sue the State of Connecticut for its alleged failure to remove the man from Sullivan's care, despite school officials making 20 calls to the Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF) decades prior to his rescue.

The claim states that Tom Pannone, who was the principal of Barnard Elementary School when the man was a student, "indicated in an interview that he knew 'S' was being abused and reported the abuse to DCF, and not a damn thing was done." Pannone further indicated that "'S' was very small and thin and reported to administrators that he wasn't allowed food at the family home since he was 5." Pannone reportedly said that "school officials called DCF at least 20 times" in regard to the situation, per the publication.

The claim alleges that if DCF had properly investigated early reports of abuse, the man would have been "freed and allowed to live a normal life outside of captivity, without torture or abuse."

Exner told the publication that she will be seeking at least $50,000 in damages on behalf of the man. PEOPLE noted that the filing must first be approved by the commissioner's office before she would be allowed to formally proceed with a lawsuit.

Why have mandatory abuse reporting if the message falls on deaf ears? This is infuriating.

 

[Mel70]

It should take once. Then an investigation with regular surprise visits. Unbelievable!!!

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

DCF report on Waterbury captivity case remains unfinished more than a year later

A lawyer for the state Department of Children and Families said the agency's internal review examining any potential missteps by DCF workers is still in draft form months after it began.

www.ctpublic.org

DCF report on Waterbury captivity case remains unfinished more than a year later​

More than a year after launching its internal review, Connecticut's child welfare agency is still finalizing a report on how it handled the case of a Waterbury man allegedly held captive by his stepmother.

A lawyer for the state Department of Children and Families (DCF) testified at a hearing last month that a report examining any potential missteps by DCF workers who interacted with the victim's family was completed last year.

However, it remains an unfinished draft, attorney Lynn Hebert said — more than 14 months after the man's story of being held in captivity surfaced.

DCF has faced questions about its handling of the case after the alleged victim set fire to his home in February 2025 in what police described as a desperate bid to win his freedom.

DCF previously said it lacked sufficient evidence to remove the victim from the home, despite investigating six reports about his well-being over the course of nearly a decade.

Connecticut Public last year asked the agency to provide its internal assessment showing how it reached that conclusion. DCF denied the request, saying the documents are confidential child protective records.

DCF asked the state's Freedom of Information Commission to dismiss a pending complaint over the request. It argues the commission doesn't have jurisdiction to consider it.

Answering questions from a hearing officer last month, Hebert said DCF's bureau chief of continuous quality improvement was closely involved in the qualitative review of the Waterbury case, which produced a draft report she estimated was fewer than 50 pages.

"It walks through the case and outlines what occurred, what didn't occur, and makes the conclusions that inform our statement," Hebert said, referring to a two-page statement the department released in July 2025.

The statement briefly explains why DCF didn't remove the victim from the home, and notes the agency conducted "a detailed review of all records, reconstruction of the policies and procedures in place two decades ago (many of which have since been updated), and interviews with current staff who worked on the case."

Hebert testified she doesn't know why the document produced through the qualitative review isn't finished. A DCF spokesperson declined to answer additional questions.

"We will not comment further on confidential case records," the spokesperson said.

 

[Cousin Dupree]

DCF report on Waterbury captivity case remains unfinished more than a year later

A lawyer for the state Department of Children and Families said the agency's internal review examining any potential missteps by DCF workers is still in draft form months after it began.

www.ctpublic.org

DCF report on Waterbury captivity case remains unfinished more than a year later​

More than a year after launching its internal review, Connecticut's child welfare agency is still finalizing a report on how it handled the case of a Waterbury man allegedly held captive by his stepmother.

A lawyer for the state Department of Children and Families (DCF) testified at a hearing last month that a report examining any potential missteps by DCF workers who interacted with the victim's family was completed last year.

However, it remains an unfinished draft, attorney Lynn Hebert said — more than 14 months after the man's story of being held in captivity surfaced.

DCF has faced questions about its handling of the case after the alleged victim set fire to his home in February 2025 in what police described as a desperate bid to win his freedom.

DCF previously said it lacked sufficient evidence to remove the victim from the home, despite investigating six reports about his well-being over the course of nearly a decade.

Connecticut Public last year asked the agency to provide its internal assessment showing how it reached that conclusion. DCF denied the request, saying the documents are confidential child protective records.

DCF asked the state's Freedom of Information Commission to dismiss a pending complaint over the request. It argues the commission doesn't have jurisdiction to consider it.

Answering questions from a hearing officer last month, Hebert said DCF's bureau chief of continuous quality improvement was closely involved in the qualitative review of the Waterbury case, which produced a draft report she estimated was fewer than 50 pages.

"It walks through the case and outlines what occurred, what didn't occur, and makes the conclusions that inform our statement," Hebert said, referring to a two-page statement the department released in July 2025.

The statement briefly explains why DCF didn't remove the victim from the home, and notes the agency conducted "a detailed review of all records, reconstruction of the policies and procedures in place two decades ago (many of which have since been updated), and interviews with current staff who worked on the case."

Hebert testified she doesn't know why the document produced through the qualitative review isn't finished. A DCF spokesperson declined to answer additional questions.

"We will not comment further on confidential case records," the spokesperson said.

Confidential records? I'm guessing there are no records.