Michigan Parents Charged in Death of Severely Obese 7-Year-Old Son

A Michigan couple, Damian O'Brien, 40, and Jessica O'Brien, 41, have been charged with second-degree murder, child abuse and torture in the death of their 7-year-old son, Kasper. Prosecutors say the boy died in November 2025 at the family’s neglected home in Flint after weighing 115 kilograms, with his height listed at 127 centimeters.

According to the medical report, Kasper died of dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition that leads to heart failure, and severe obesity contributed to his death. Emergency responders were called to the house after a report of a child in distress, and the boy was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly afterward.

Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton told WJRT that the case reflected extreme and deliberate neglect. “On the face of it, this is a brutal and extreme suffering inflicted on this child because of the parents’ neglect,” he said. He added that the child had no pediatrician and, in his view, had been taken to a doctor only once in his life. Leyton also said the father had a good job and the family had health insurance.

The prosecutor said Kasper and his 5-year-old sister were never enrolled in school and were unknown to child welfare authorities. He said, “None of these children even existed in the eyes of the government.” Police described the home as an environment of hoarding. Leyton also said that on the morning of Kasper’s death, the parents called a veterinarian seeking treatment for their dog. The couple is being held without bail in Genesee County jail and is due back in court on July 2.