Two parents from Flint Township, Michigan have been charged with murder after their 7-year-old son died weighing 255 pounds, according to prosecutors.
Damien O'Brien and Jessica O'Brien face charges of second-degree murder, child abuse, and torture. Their son, Casper, weighed 255 pounds at the time of his death.
The boy was 4 feet, 2 inches tall.
The CDC says a healthy weight for a child his age and height should have been between 50 and 73 pounds.
Police were alerted to Casper's condition on November 4, 2025, when a 911 call reported a child in distress.
He was rushed to the hospital but died from dilated cardiomyopathy, with morbid obesity listed as a contributing cause.
Parents accused of extreme neglect
Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton told local outlet WJRT that this case is about "cruel and extreme suffering from this child caused by the neglect of the parents."
The O'Briens also have a 5-year-old daughter. Authorities allege they never enrolled Casper in school.
Leyton said these children have essentially never "existed in the eyes of the government."
The parents are scheduled to appear in court on July 2.
