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.
Tracy Vallerand, the biological mother of the Waterbury man allegedly held captive by his stepmother, Kimberly Sullivan, for more than two decades, addresses the media outside state Superior Court in Waterbury after an appearance by Sullivan March 26, 2025, in Waterbury, Conn. (Jim Shannon/Hearst Connecticut Media via AP)
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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.”
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.”
Kimberly Sullivan is accused of child abuse in her Waterbury, Conn., home. (Associated Press; Waterbury Police)
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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.
The home where a Connecticut man told authorities his stepmother held him captive for two decades since he was a boy. (Waterbury Police Department via AP)
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.
Kimberly Sullivan is taken into custody by the Waterbury Police Department March 12. (Waterbury Police Department)
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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.
Ioannis Kaloidis, attorney for Kimberly Sullivan, speaks with Fox News Digital. (Fox News)
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.
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“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.”
