Michigan parents charged with murder in death of 7-year-old son who weighed 255 pounds
The parents of a 7-year-old Michigan boy who weighed 255 pounds (116 kilograms) when he died have been charged with murder, torture and child abuse, prosecutors said.
“Obviously the parents were feeding the child inappropriately,” Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said Monday. he said. “He wasn’t getting the nutrition he needed.”
Prosecutors said Casper O’Brien died last November after first responders were called to the family’s home in Flint because he had stopped breathing. His parents – Damien O’Brien, 40, and Jessica O’Brien, 41 – were charged with second-degree murder, torture and three counts of second-degree child abuse.
The couple was arraigned last week and is being held in a Genesee County jail northwest of Detroit without bail. A probable cause hearing is scheduled for Thursday.
The child, who was 4 feet, 2.5 inches (128 centimeters) tall, was classified as medically obese, according to the Genesee County Medical Examiner’s report. The cause of death was listed as dilated cardiomyopathy, and his weight was a contributing condition. Dilated cardiomyopathy occurs when the heart becomes enlarged and weak and cannot pump blood efficiently; this can affect other body systems, including the lungs.
According to criminal complaints, the parents did not take Casper to treatment even though the family had health care.
Elias Fanous, the lawyer representing Damien O’Brien, said in a statement that he would not speculate on the circumstances of the case and had no comment other than to say his client “is innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.” Jessica O’Brien’s attorney did not immediately return a request for comment Monday.
Authorities believe Casper consumed a “constant diet of snack foods,” Leyton said. He said Casper, who was nonverbal and bedridden, had severe bedsores and various rashes.
The autopsy report stated that law enforcement and Child Protective Services reported that piles of trash were found in the home and that Casper was not enrolled in school. Leyton said the hoarding in the home was “appalling”.
One of the child abuse charges involves the couple’s 5-year-old daughter, who was placed in foster care.
According to the autopsy report, Casper last saw his primary care provider in February 2024 and was diagnosed with a cough, congestion and metabolic disease. According to the report, the child, who weighed 47 kilos, was referred to a pediatric endocrinologist, but he never saw him, and his mother was informed about healthy nutrition and exercise. The report stated that the metabolic disease was not mentioned in the available medical records.
“This is a very, very sad and tragic situation,” Leyton said. “I’ve been a prosecutor for 22 years and I thought I’d seen it all, but I’d never seen anything like this.”
