The parents of a 7-year-old Michigan boy who weighed 255 pounds when he died of heart failure have been charged with murder, with prosecutors alleging the child suffered “extraordinary, terrible neglect.”
Damien O’Brien, 40, and his wife, Jessica O’Brien, 41, also face charges of child abuse and torture in connection with the death of their son, Casper. Authorities said the boy had never attended school and had been taken to a doctor only once.
“On the face of it, this is cruel and extreme suffering from this child caused by the neglect of the parents,” Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton told WJRT. The couple also has a 5-year-old daughter.
Police were called to the family’s deteriorating home in Flint Township, Michigan, on Nov. 4, 2025, after a 911 report of a child in distress.
Casper was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died a short time later. A medical report listed his cause of death as dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition that can lead to heart failure, with morbid obesity cited as a contributing factor.
At the time of his death, Casper stood 4 feet, 2 inches tall and weighed 255 pounds. According to CDC guidance, a healthy weight range for a 7-year-old boy of that height is roughly 50 to 73 pounds.
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“That is obesity. This child did not have a pediatrician, was only taken to the doctor I believe … once,” Leyton told WJRT.
Leyton said Damien O’Brien had steady employment and that the family had health insurance.
The morning Casper died, they even called their veterinarian to have their dog treated, Leyton said.
Casper also has a 5-year-old sister who lived at the house, which police described as a hoarding situation.
“None of these kids even existed in the eyes of the government. CPS had never been out there, nobody knew about these kids, they had not been to school,” Leyton said.
“I can’t think of what else this is, other than extraordinary, terrible neglect. And to me, that is willful and wanton misconduct, which is second-degree murder,” he added.
The O’Briens were charged with second-degree murder, child abuse and torture this week.
They are being held at the Genesee County Jail without bond and are due to appear in court next on July 2.
