Months after a 7-year-old boy who weighed 255 pounds died in Michigan, his mother and father face homicide and baby abuse fees in connection together with his death, court docket paperwork say.
Casper O’Brien, who lived together with his household in Flint Township, Michigan, died on November 4, 2025, after paramedics responded to a 911 name a couple of baby having issue respiratory, NCS affiliate WNEM reported, citing the Genesee County Prosecutor’s Office.
The boy was in misery and unable to maneuver, the information station reported.
He died of dilated cardiomyopathy, a kind of coronary heart illness in which the chambers of the center turn out to be enlarged and too weak to pump blood effectively, an post-mortem report from the Genesee County Medical Examiner exhibits. The illness is usually related to extreme weight problems, outlined by a physique mass index (BMI) of 40 or greater.
The boy’s mother and father, Damien and Jessica O’Brien, have been charged on June 23 with second-degree homicide and three counts of second-degree baby abuse, court docket filings present. If convicted, they might withstand life in jail.
One of the kid abuse fees in opposition to the O’Briens is in reference to Casper’s sister, prosecutors mentioned. When authorities responded to the Michigan residence final yr, they discovered the 5-year-old lady soiled with knots in her hair and “morbidly overweight,” court docket filings say.
Attorneys for every of the mother and father mentioned it was “premature” and “too early” to touch upon the allegations – each noting they haven’t obtained discovery from the federal government but.
“As in all criminal matters, Mr. O’Brien is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. I will defend Mr. O’Brien in the courtroom, not through the media,” mentioned Elias Fanous, an lawyer representing Damien O’Brien.
The couple are anticipated in court docket on July 2, the prosecutor’s workplace mentioned. They are being held on the Genesee County Jail.
At the time of his death, Casper was 4 ft, 2 inches tall, and had a BMI of 71.7, in line with the post-mortem report. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s growth charts present the everyday BMI for a boy his age is about 16.
Casper wasn’t enrolled in faculty and was final seen by his major physician in 2024 when he weighed simply over 104 pounds and was identified with acute cough, throat congestion and metabolic illness, in line with the Genesee County Medical Examiner. During his go to, he was referred to a pediatric endocrinologist, however the boy by no means noticed one, the report mentioned.
The household gave the impression to be dwelling in an “unkempt” residence with “piles of trash throughout most of the residence,” the medical expert wrote, citing regulation enforcement and Children’s Protective Services. Casper didn’t like water, bathing him was tough, and his food regimen consisted of potato chips and fries.
“This was a sad and horrific case involving the wanton and willful neglect by two parents for the care, welfare and medical needs of their son,” Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton instructed NCS Monday.
“Their neglect led to their child suffering severe bed sores, various rashes and other physical health disorders including extreme morbid obesity that ultimately led to his early death,” Leyton added.