In a tragic case from near Flint, Michigan, the parents of a 7-year-old boy, who passed away weighing 255 pounds, are facing murder charges on grounds of suspected neglect.
Authorities have charged Damien and Jessica O’Brien with second-degree murder, along with torture and child abuse.
In November, emergency services responded to the O’Brien residence when their son, Casper, was found not breathing, according to a report from FOX 2 Detroit.
Reports revealed that the young boy was bedridden, unable to speak, and living in squalor. He succumbed at the hospital due to a heart muscle disease, exacerbated by severe obesity.
Damien and Jessica O’Brien are facing charges that include second-degree murder, torture, and several counts of child abuse. (Genesee County Sheriff’s Office)
Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton told the outlet the conditions were so severe that police noted they could not enter the house to help paramedics because there was no room.
Both parents were employed and had health insurance, but neither Casper — who Leyton noted was nonverbal and likely on the autism spectrum — nor his younger sister received medical care, according to the report.
The parents are charged with second-degree murder, torture and child abuse, according to authorities. (iStock)
“They knew enough to call the veterinarian the very morning the child went into [cardiac arrest] because the dog was sick,” Leyton told FOX 2. “But yet they don’t take the kids to the doctor. [It] doesn’t make any sense to me.”
Casper’s 5-year-old sister, who Leyton described as “feral,” was removed from the home on the day he died by Children’s Protective Services and has been placed into temporary foster care.