An emaciated man, 32, says he was held in his room for 20 years and set it on fire to gain his freedom, according to police. His stepmother was charged with cruelty and kidnapping.

A Connecticut man allegedly held captive and starved by his stepmother for more than two decades escaped the small room he had been locked away in by setting their house on fire, authorities said Wednesday.

An investigation into a house fire in Waterbury has led to the arrest of a woman accused of holding her stepson captive for decades. The Waterbury Police Department along with personnel from the Waterbury Fire Department responded to a report of a fire at a residence on Blake Street on Feb.

A 32-year-old Waterbury, Connecticut man burned his stepmother's home down last month, revealing to police he had done so to escape 2 decades of captivity and abuse. 56-year-old stepmother Kimberly Sullivan was arrested on March 12 and has been charged with assault,