A 58-year-old man was arrested Thursday on charges that he held his younger sister captive for several years in their home on Eleanor Road.
Police say Arthur Gauvin kept his 56-year-old sister locked in a bedroom to keep from losing the house to the state of Connecticut. She was found covered in filth and her room smelled so bad, police evacuated the house after a couple of minutes.
Arthur Gauvin, of 10 Eleanor Rd., was charged with first-degree unlawful restraint, second-degree reckless endangerment and cruelty to persons.
He was released after posting a $20,000 bond, but was arrested a second time after threatening a family member in front of officers, police said.
He was arraigned Friday at Superior Court in Derby.
The incident unfolded Thursday evening when an anonymous person called police and asked that officers check on the welfare of a 56-year-old woman at 10 Eleanor Rd.
Officers were allowed in the home by family members. While speaking with Gauvin, officers noticed a foul odor and were led to the where Gauvin’s sister was found.
Her entire body was covered in human feces. She was frail, extremely thin and appeared malnourished. Feces and urine were spread throughout the bedroom, including the bed where she slept, police said.
An unsanitary portable toilet was found in the room.
“The bedroom was kept like a dungeon,” Deputy Chief Paul Satkowski said in a press release.
The one window inside the room was blacked out with black paint to prevent the female victim from seeing the outside. The window was also boarded up to prevent the victim from escaping.
Officers found a locking clasp on the outside of the bedroom door that prevented the female from
The smell inside the house was so pungent, officers immediately evacuated the residence after only several minutes of being inside the room.
A detective with a special hazmat suit and a self-contained breathing apparatus helped patrol officers process the scene, police said.
The female victim was immediately transported to Yale-New Haven Hospital. Since minor children also reside inside the house at 10 Eleanor Rd., the Department of Children and Families was called and will conduct a follow up investigation.
Story by Hilda Muñoz, Hartford Courant