A Michigan couple have been charged with homicide, little one abuse and torture in reference to the loss of life final 12 months of their 7-year-old son, who on the time weighed 255 kilos, in response to court docket filings.
The boy, Casper O’Brien, died on Nov. 4, 2025, after the authorities responded to a 911 name earlier that day that he was not respiration on the Flint Township dwelling he shared along with his dad and mom, Damien and Jessica O’Brien, in response to the authorities.
An post-mortem report from the Genesee County health worker concluded that Casper had died of dilated cardiomyopathy — an enlarged and weakened coronary heart — introduced on by morbid weight problems.
Casper was bedridden on the time of his loss of life, and subsisted on little greater than snack meals, the Genesee County prosecutor, David S. Leyton, mentioned in an interview on Saturday.
The kid was not enrolled in class and acquired little to no medical care regardless of having a historical past of nonverbal autism, in response to prosecutors and the post-mortem report from the health worker, John Bechinski.
“This was a tragic and horrific case involving the wanton and willful neglect by two dad and mom for the care, welfare and medical wants of their son,” Mr. Leyton mentioned in an emailed assertion. “Their neglect led to their little one struggling extreme mattress sores, numerous rashes and different bodily well being problems.”
Prosecutors charged the dad and mom with second-degree homicide and three counts of second-degree little one abuse. They had been additionally charged with torture.
If convicted of the homicide and torture prices, they face the opportunity of life in jail.
In a press release, Mr. O’Brien’s lawyer, Elias Fanous, mentioned that it will be “untimely to touch upon the allegations and prices that Mr. O’Brien is dealing with.”
“As in all prison issues, Mr. O’Brien is presumed harmless till confirmed responsible past an inexpensive doubt in a court docket of legislation,” Mr. Fanous mentioned.
Ms. O’Brien’s lawyer, Tracey Guisbert, mentioned that circumstances like this tended to “develop slowly” and that it was due to this fact too early to remark. “It is a tragic scenario,” she added.
Casper was residing in an surroundings of profound disarray and neglect on the time of his loss of life, in response to prosecutors and the post-mortem report.
His dad and mom had been hoarders, Mr. Leyton mentioned, which made it very troublesome for medical personnel to maneuver across the dwelling in November.
Cops and little one protecting providers staff discovered the house, which Casper additionally shared along with his uncle and 5-year-old sister, Illeana, to be “completely disgusting” and “deplorable,” in response to the report, with trash piled almost all over the place.
Casper didn’t like water or getting moist, which made bathing him troublesome, in response to the report. As a substitute, Ms. O’Brien, 41, cleaned him with wipes.
Although Mr. O’Brien, 40, had well being protection — Mr. Leyton referred to as his insurance coverage “nearly as good because it will get” — by his job as an data know-how employee for the insurance coverage firm Delta Dental, Casper acquired little or no medical care, prosecutors mentioned.
The boy was final seen by a main care physician on Feb. 12, 2024, when he was recognized with an acute cough, throat congestion and “metabolic illness,” in response to the post-mortem report.
Casper weighed a little bit over 104 kilos on the time, which implies the boy — who was 4 ft 2 inches tall when he died — gained roughly 150 kilos in lower than two years. His food regimen consisted largely of potato chips and French fries, in response to the report.
Mr. and Ms. O’Brien had been additionally charged with the abuse and neglect of Casper’s sister, Illeana, who was discovered bare, soiled and morbidly overweight when the authorities responded to the 911 name in November, in response to prosecutors. She is in non permanent foster care and doing nicely, Mr. Leyton mentioned.
Casper’s uncle has not been charged with any wrongdoing, prosecutors mentioned.
Mr. Leyton mentioned that the household’s landlord, who occurred to drive by their dwelling throughout Casper’s medical emergency, informed the authorities on the time that he had not been in a position to enter the home and that the household had been leaving the lease on the entrance porch.
Mr. Leyton mentioned that in his 22 years as a prosecutor, he had by no means seen something fairly just like the O’Brien case.
“Simply while you suppose you’ve seen all of it, one thing like this comes alongside,” he mentioned.