Months after a 7-year-old boy who weighed 255 pounds died in Michigan, his parents face murder and child abuse charges in connection with his death, court documents say.
Casper O’Brien, who lived with his family in Flint Township, Michigan, died on November 4, 2025, after paramedics responded to a 911 call about a child having difficulty breathing, CNN affiliate WNEM reported, citing the Genesee County Prosecutor’s Office.
The boy was in distress and unable to move, the news station reported.
He died of dilated cardiomyopathy, a form of heart disease in which the chambers of the heart become enlarged and too weak to pump blood efficiently, an autopsy report from the Genesee County Medical Examiner shows. The disease is often associated with severe obesity, defined by a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher.
The boy’s parents, Damien and Jessica O’Brien, were charged on June 23 with second-degree murder and three counts of second-degree child abuse, court filings show. If convicted, they could face up to life in prison.
