The parents of a 7-year-old Michigan boy who weighed 255 pounds when he died have been charged with murder, torture and child abuse, prosecutors said.
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"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."
Leading up to his death last November, Casper O'Brien was fed a "steady diet of snack foods" that resulted in him becoming fatally obese, prosecutors said.
His parents — Damien O'Brien, 40, and Jessica O'Brien, 41 — have each been charged with second-degree murder, torture and three counts of second-degree child abuse.
The married couple were arraigned last week and are being held on no bond in jail in Genesee County. A probable cause hearing is set for Thursday.
Unfortunately, Michigan youth's rapid weight gain was not the only health concern he faced.
Authorities also believe Casper was nonverbal, bedridden, and plagued with bed sores and various rashes, according to Leyton.
"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."
Casper died from "dilated cardiomyopathy" - a medical condition that hampers the heart's ability to pump blood - on Nov. 4, 2025, according to the Genesee County Medical Examiner's report.
The autopsy report said law enforcement and Child Protective Services reported there were piles of trash in the home, and Casper was not enrolled in school. Leyton said the hoarding in the home was "terrible."
Health Effects of Obesity
Obesity is a complex disease involving having too much body fat, and is far more than a cosmetic concern.
Obesity increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, liver disease, sleep apnea and certain cancers.
A study published in 2010 in the Archives of General Psychiatry found that obese people have a 55 percent higher risk of developing depression over time compared with people of normal weight.
Obesity is also one of the most common diseases that adversely affects bone and joint health.
Carrying too much body fat can stifle mobility and cause joint pain.
US childhood and teen obesity rates reached record highs this year, according to two CDC reports.
Between 2021 and 2023, 21.1 percent of American youth ages 2 to 19 were obese. The same report found that between 1971 and 1974, just 5.2 percent of children and teens were obese.
