Parents in Michigan have been charged with second-degree murder, torture, and child abuse in the death of their 7-year-old son, Casper, who weighed 255 pounds at the time of his death. Damien and Jessica O'Brien were arrested after first responders were called to their home near Flint in November, responding to a report that the child had stopped breathing.
According to authorities, the boy was bedridden, unable to speak, and living in unsanitary conditions. He died at a hospital from a heart muscle disease exacerbated by severe obesity. Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton stated that the conditions in the home were so dire that paramedics struggled to access the child due to a lack of space.
Leyton noted that both parents were employed and had health insurance, yet neither Casper, who was described as nonverbal and potentially on the autism spectrum, nor his younger sister received medical care. The prosecutor highlighted the parents' alleged action of calling a veterinarian for a sick dog on the morning of their son's cardiac arrest, while failing to seek medical attention for their child.
Casper's 5-year-old sister, described by Leyton as "feral," was removed from the home by Children's Protective Services on the day of her brother's death and has been placed in temporary foster care.