Casper O’Brien, 7, died on November 4, 2025, after police responded to a 911 call reporting a child in distress at the family’s home in Flint Township. Now, heartbreaking new details have emerged in the case.
The young boy was taken to the hospital but died soon afterward from dilated cardiomyopathy – a condition that causes heart failure – with morbid obesity listed as a contributing factor. He was 4’2” tall and weighed 255 pounds.
According to the CDC, a child of Casper’s age and height would typically weigh between 50 and 73 pounds.
His parents, Damien O’Brien, 40, and Jessica O’Brien, 41, have been charged with second-degree murder, child abuse, and torture. They are being held without bond ahead of their next court appearance on Thursday, July 2.
Casper O’Brien
New reports allege that Casper reached that weight in less than two years before his death after his parents fed him a “steady diet of snack foods.”
Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said: “Clearly the parents were feeding the child improperly, to say the least. He wasn’t getting the nutrition he needed,” according to the New York Post.
Authorities also believe the 7-year-old was nonverbal before his death. He was allegedly bedridden and covered in bedsores and rashes.
“It’s a very, very sad and tragic situation. I’ve been the prosecuting attorney for 22 years and I thought I’d seen it all but I’ve never seen anything quite like this,” Leyton said.
According to the autopsy report, which cited information from law enforcement and Child Protective Services, the home was cluttered with trash, and Casper did not receive medical care despite the family having health insurance.
Prosecutors say Casper suffered “extraordinary, terrible neglect.”
Leyton told WJRT: “On the face of it, this is cruel and extreme suffering from this child caused by the neglect of the parents,” according to VT.
“That is obesity. This child did not have a pediatrician, was only taken to the doctor I believe … once.”
“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.
“I can’t think of what else this is, other than extraordinary, terrible neglect. And to me, that is willful and wanton misconduct, which is second-degree murder.”
A funeral tribute shared after Casper’s death described him as a “bright, loving young boy whose joyful spirit touched everyone around him.”
“He loved watching Super Monsters, especially his favorite character, Frankie Mash.
“He was preceded in death by his little brother, Phoenix.”
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