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 woman allegedly held her “severely emaciated” stepson in captivity for over 20 years, since he was 11 years old, and forced him to endure “prolonged abuse."

An emaciated 32-year-old Connecticut man was held in squalid conditions by his stepmother for over two decades, in what police on Thursday called "the worst treatment of humanity."

Police in Connecticut say a house fire revealed a man being held against his will by his stepmother for decades. Police in Waterbury say on February 17, the victim, who is a 32-year-old man, set fire to the room he was allegedly being held in.

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.