An American couple from the US state of Michigan have been charged with second-degree murder for the death of their extremely overweight 7-year-old son. According to Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton, Damien O’Brien, 40, and Jessica O’Brien, 41, were arrested in November last year after a witness called authorities, following the death of their son, Casper O’Brien.
On November 4, 2025, emergency services rushed to O’Brien’s home, where Casper was found and later pronounced dead at the hospital. His official cause of death was dilated cardiomyopathy linked to morbid obesity. Standing 4 feet, 2.5 inches (1.3 meters) tall, the boy weighed 255 pounds (116 kg), placing him far outside healthy paediatric averages.
The investigating agencies also alleged that the couple failed to take Casper to a doctor and did not provide him with a safe living environment before his death, according to a report in NBC News. The boy was found in a makeshift bed that was shared by four family members.
Prosecutors charged both parents with second-degree murder, torture, and three counts of second-degree child abuse, carrying a maximum sentence of life in prison.
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Casper’s forensic autopsy report states that he was last examined by his primary care physician in February 2024, when he was referred to a pediatric endocrinologist. However, Casper’s parents never took him to the endocrinologist.
“It was reported that the decedent’s diet was potato chips and fries because of texture issues,” John A Bechinski, the deputy medical examiner, wrote in the autopsy report.
“This child did not have a paediatrician, was only taken to the doctor I believe, according to the police report, once,” Leyton said.
Leyton added that it was a case of negligence as Casper’s family did not lack resources. Damien O’Brien had a stable job that provided health insurance to the entire family but the boy was never looked after properly.
