Michigan Parents Charged With Murder After 7-Year-Old Son Dies at 255 Pounds
A Michigan couple faces murder and torture charges after their 7-year-old son died weighing 255 pounds. The boy's cause of death was dilated cardiomyopathy.
Flint Couple Arraigned After Son's Death Linked to Severe Obesity and Neglect
Damien O'Brien, 40, and Jessica O'Brien, 41, have been charged with second-degree murder, torture and three counts of second-degree child abuse following the death of their 7-year-old son Casper, ABC News US reports. The boy weighed 255 pounds (116 kilograms) when he died last November at the family's home in Flint, Michigan.
"Clearly the parents were feeding the child improperly, to say the least," Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said Monday. "He wasn't getting the nutrition he needed."
First responders were called to the home after Casper stopped breathing. The Genesee County Medical Examiner's report listed his cause of death as dilated cardiomyopathy — a condition in which the heart becomes enlarged and weakened, impairing its ability to pump blood and affecting other body systems including the lungs. His weight was identified as a contributing condition. At 4 feet, 2.5 inches (128 centimeters) tall, the boy had been medically classified as obese.
Leyton told reporters that Casper was nonverbal and bedridden, and that authorities believe he consumed "a steady diet of snack foods." The child had severe bed sores and various rashes. Law enforcement and Child Protective Services, according to the autopsy report, found piles of trash in the home. Casper had not been enrolled in school. Leyton described the hoarding conditions as "terrible."
Criminal complaints allege the parents failed to seek treatment for Casper despite the family having health care coverage. His last visit to a primary care provider was in February 2024, when he was diagnosed with a cough, congestion and metabolic disease. At that appointment he weighed 104 pounds (47 kilograms) — less than half his weight at the time of his death nine months later. His mother was given information on a healthy diet and exercise. The report noted he was referred to a pediatric endocrinologist but never saw one.
The couple were arraigned last week and are being held without bond in Genesee County jail, roughly an hour's drive northwest of Detroit. A probable cause hearing is scheduled for Thursday.
Elias Fanous, the attorney representing Damien O'Brien, said in a statement that he would not speculate on the circumstances of the case, adding only that his client was "innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law." An attorney for Jessica O'Brien had not responded to a request for comment by Monday.
A third child abuse charge relates to the couple's 5-year-old daughter, who has been placed in foster care.
"It's a very, very sad and tragic situation," Leyton said. "I've been the prosecuting attorney for 22 years and I thought I'd seen it all, but I've never seen anything quite like this."
Source: ABC News US