7-year-old dies weighing 255 lbs.; parents charged with 2nd-degree murder

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The parents of a 7-year-old boy who weighed more than 200 pounds when he died face murder, child abuse and torture charges.

The case began to unfold on Nov. 4, 2025, when a 911 call was made for a young boy in distress at a Flint Township home. He was rushed to a hospital, but he died.

Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton charged 40-year-old Damien O'Brien and his wife, 41-year-old Jessica O'Brien, with second-degree murder following the death of their 7-year-old son Casper. The boy was 50.5 inches tall and weighed 255 pounds when he died.

"On the face of it, this is cruel and extreme suffering from this child caused by the neglect of the parents," Leyton said.

The cause of death was dilated cardiomyopathy, which causes heart failure, with a contributing cause being morbid obesity. The CDC lists a healthy weight for a 7-year-old boy who is 50 and a half inches tall generally ranges between 50 and 73 pounds.

"That is obesity. This child did not have a pediatrician, was only taken to the doctor I believe, according to the police report, once," Leyton said.

The O'Brien's also have a 5-year-old daughter.

"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," says Leyton.

Police described the living conditions in the home as a hoarding situation.

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