Two US parents have been charged over the death of their seven-year-old son, who weighed 115kg at the time of his death last year.
According to local media, the parents, Damien O'Brien and Jessica O'Brien, are facing charges of second-degree murder, torture and three counts of second-degree child abuse.
Authorities said the child, Casper O'Brien, had died after paramedics responded to a report of a child who was having difficulty breathing. He had been taken to a medical centre where he died shortly after.
According to USA Today, an autopsy found the cause of Casper's death was heart disease, with morbid obesity listed as a contributing factor. Under Michigan law where the family is based, the parents could each face a maximum sentence of life in prison, according to local outlet KXAN.
In charging documentation prosecutors have alleged the child was not provided adequate medical care or nutrition, lived in unsafe conditions and was immobile, according to WNEM-TV5.
Genesee County prosecutor David Leyton said first responders had found Casper living in what police described as a hoarding situation, and had little room to move.
"What we allege is that he was not fed in a nutritious way," Leyton told WNEM-TV5. "He was neglected and he was abused."
Local media also report the couple's other child, a five-year-old girl, was the alleged victim in one of the charges of child abuse. The girl had been described as morbidly obese and was found with knots in her hair, was dirty and unclothed when police arrived.
ABC 12 reported that Leyton also alleged the children had not ever attended school, and had never been put forward to Child Protective Services.
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