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Michigan parents charged with murder after boy found to be 250+ pounds

▶ Watch Video: Flint Township parents charged with murder, torture in death of their son

Two Flint Township, Michigan, parents, are facing several charges, including second-degree murder, in the death of their 7-year-old son, who was 255 pounds and abused and neglected, according to the Genesee County prosecutor.

Paramedics responded to a home in Flint Township on Nov. 4, 2025, for a report that the boy, identified as Casper O’Brien, was having difficulty breathing, according to CBS News affiliate WNEM, which cited a criminal complaint.

Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said in an interview with WNEM that the house was filled with “everything you can imagine” and police reported they couldn’t go inside because the paramedics were taking up the available space. He added that there was a 5-year-old girl running around without any clothes on.

“It was just one of the most unbelievable scenes, that the police have seen, that I’ve reviewed in my 22 years as prosecuting attorney,” Leyton said.   

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A home in Flint Township, Michigan, that paramedics responded to on Nov. 4, 2025, after a 911 caller reported a child was having trouble breathing.

WNEM

The paramedics found Casper O’Brien was in distress and unable to move, according to WNEM. He died hours later. 

Leyton, citing an autopsy, told WNEM that Casper O’Brien died of a heart muscle disease, with morbid obesity being a contributing factor. 

“These parents, I believe, neglected this child to the point that he became obese,” he said.

Damien O’Brien, 40, and Jessica O’Brien, 41, are each charged with one count of second-degree murder, one count of torture and three counts of second-degree child abuse, online court records show.

According to Leyton, Casper O’Brien was bedridden and never went to school.

“I don’t believe anybody from the school district, CPS, the police, anybody in the government even knew these children existed,” he said.

The parent’s landlord, according to Leyton, told police that he had been concerned because the house had fallen into disrepair and Damien O’Brien said they couldn’t go inside. The prosecutor added that the family had health insurance and only took Casper O’Brien to a physician one time. 

Damien and Jessica O’Brien are each expected to appear at a probable cause conference on Thursday.  

Nearly 1 year after Annunciation shooting, Fletcher Merkel memorialized with lakeside fishing bench

By CNN
Click here for updates on this story    MINNESOTA (WCCO) -- When Fletcher Merkel's family moved into the Kenny neighborhood in south Minneapolis, neighbors told him he wouldn't have much luck casting his fishing line at Grass Lake. He proved them wrong, which his mother said is a constant reminder of his perseverance and passion. Mollie Merkel said that one day last summer, 8-year-old Fletcher caught a bullhead catfish. Mollie said it was "disgusting," but Fletcher didn't care. He paraded that fish around the neighborhood in a bucket. Mollie shared that story with around one hundred of her neighbors in the Kenny neighborhood on Tuesday evening. She joined the Kenny Neighborhood Association in unveiling a bench that overlooks Grass Lake, designed to honor her son. Fletcher and 10-year-old Harper Moyski died in the mass shooting at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis last August. The bench is positioned so that the sunset is clearly visible in the evening, a daily event that Mollie says reminds her of Fletcher. The inscription references Fletcher's bullhead catch, reading, in part, "For the boy who proved there are fish in Grass Lake." "Fletcher would have loved sitting here, but mostly, we would have loved running around it," Mollie said, drawing laughter from the crowd, "but we used to watch the birds and the ducks here." Barbara Brady, chair of the Kenny Neighborhood Association, said that she and her team reached out to the Merkel family last fall to see what kind of memorial they could aim to set up in Fletcher's honor. Once they settled on a bench, at one of Fletcher's favorite spots, they raised $3,000 to make it happen. "Everyone swung into action and the neighbors are just amazing for the Merkels," Brady said. "People were bringing them food for months, anything they wanted; we were there for them." Mollie said that she was happy to see some of Fletcher's friends be among the first to make use of the bench, which is now in place just ahead of the one-year marker since the shooting. "We hope that this bench can be a place for calm and reflection," Mollie said. Earlier this summer, the Merkels started what they hope will be an annual event on Lake Harriet to teach kids how to fish and raise money for scholarships at Annunciation.Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
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