Parents of a seven-year-old boy who weighed 255 pounds (116 kilograms) when he died have been charged with murder, torture and child abuse, prosecutors said.
Parents Arraigned on Multiple Charges
Damien O’Brien, 40, and Jessica O’Brien, 41, were arraigned last week and are being held without bond in Genesee County jail, about an hour's drive northwest of Detroit. A probable cause hearing is set for Thursday. Each faces second-degree murder, torture and three counts of second-degree child abuse.
“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.”
Medical Findings and Cause of Death
Casper O'Brien died last November after first responders were called to the family's home in Flint because he'd stopped breathing. The boy, who was 4 feet 2.5 inches (128 centimeters) tall, was medically classified as obese, according to the Genesee County Medical Examiner’s report. His cause of death was dilated cardiomyopathy, with his weight being a contributing condition. Dilated cardiomyopathy occurs when the heart becomes enlarged and weakened, unable to pump blood efficiently, affecting other body systems including the lungs.
According to the criminal complaints, the parents failed to take Casper for treatment even though the family had health care.
Neglect and Unsanitary Conditions
Leyton said authorities believe Casper consumed “a steady diet of snack foods.” He was nonverbal and bedridden, with severe bed sores and various rashes. The autopsy report noted that law enforcement and Child Protective Services reported piles of trash in the home, and Casper was not enrolled in school. Leyton described the hoarding as “terrible.”
Casper last saw his primary care provider in February 2024, when he was diagnosed with a cough, congestion and metabolic disease. At that visit, he weighed 104 pounds (47 kilograms), and his mother was given information on a healthy diet and exercise. He was referred to a pediatric endocrinologist but never saw one. The report said the metabolic disease wasn't specified in available medical records.
Additional Child Abuse Charges
One of the child abuse charges relates to the couple's 5-year-old daughter, who was placed in foster care.
Legal Representation and Prosecution
Elias Fanous, an attorney representing Damien O’Brien, said in a statement that he wouldn’t speculate on the case’s circumstances and had no comment beyond saying that his client was “innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.” An attorney for Jessica O’Brien did not immediately return a request for comment Monday.
“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.”
