Locals who lived near a Connecticut house where a man was allegedly held captive and abused by his stepmother for two decades remain stunned at the reported shocking hidden abuse that occurred in the midst of their community.

The 32-year-old was found emaciated in a property in Waterbury on Feb. 17, where he had endured “prolonged abuse, starvation, severe neglect and inhumane treatment,” police said. Kimberly Sullivan, 56, was arrested this week on charges including kidnapping, assault and unlawful restraint.

“I was right by here this whole time and he was going through that suffering. It’s heartbreaking. I just hope he’ll be okay,” Zeffery Guarnera, of Waterbury, told NBC Connecticut Thursday.

Guarnera said that a family member may have spotted a boy inside the house years ago.

“She was just a 10-year-old child on the swing doing what kids do, looked up in the window, saw a little child. She said he had a baseball cap on. He waved to her. She waved to him and that was it. He walked away and, you know, she never saw him again,” he said.

The community continues to process the news that such abuse was ongoing in their midst for years.

Paul K. Pernerewski Jr., the mayor of Waterbury, made an appeal for people to respect the privacy of the now 32-year-old man, whose identity has not been revealed.

“It’s truly horrifying and it’s beyond comprehension what occurred here. The young man’s unimaginable suffering over the course of two decades is just a reminder of the darkness that does exist in our world,” Pernerewski said.

The Connecticut Department of Children and Families said in a statement Thursday that it was “shocked and saddened for the victim and at the unspeakable conditions he endured.”

The department said it checked its records but could find no files relating to the family nor the alleged victim.

“These horrors serve as a reminder that it takes the diligent efforts of all members of the community — family, friends, neighbors, and professionals – to protect children from abuse and neglect,” the department added.

Ioannis Kaloidis, attorney for Kimberly Sullivan, told NBC News Thursday night that her client was innocent of any crimes and was “shocked” at the allegations against her. The attorney declined to answer why the man, according to medical records, allegedly weighed just under 69 pounds at a height of 5 feet and 9 inches. “We will respond to certain things at the appropriate time, once we have all the information,” he said.

Kaloidis added that the alleged victim’s biological father died in January 2024.

“So I can’t disclose the specifics of my conversation with my client, but I could tell you, at the time the father passed away, this gentleman was over 30 years old. She wasn’t controlling anything in his life. She continued to maintain the home, she continued to get groceries, she continued to keep the lights on, the heat on, and provided a shelter,” he said.