5-Year-Old Dies in Horror Explosion—Medical Staff Face Murder Charges
A devastating explosion inside a pressurized oxygen chamber at a Michigan medical center has left a five-year-old boy dead, his mother injured, and four staff members facing serious criminal charges. Thomas Cooper was inside the chamber when it suddenly erupted on January 31 at the Oxford Center in Troy, reported AP News.
His mother, standing close by, suffered burns to her arms as she watched in horror. Investigators now say the facility was running questionable treatments just for profit, and those responsible ignored safety risks.
The center’s founder and CEO, Tamela Peterson, has been charged with second-degree murder. Alongside her, facility manager Gary Marken, 65, and safety manager Gary Mosteller, 64, also face second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter charges. Aleta Moffitt, 60, who was operating the chamber that day, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and falsifying medical records, according to the New York Post.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel described the tragedy as completely avoidable, accusing the defendants of putting profits over children’s safety. “This wasn’t just an accident—it was the result of reckless, irresponsible behaviour,” she said in a press conference.
Marken’s lawyer, Raymond Cassar, expressed shock over the murder charge, saying, “This was a tragic accident, not an intentional act. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family.” Moffitt’s lawyer declined to comment, while the other defendants and the Oxford Center itself have yet to release statements.
Following the explosion, the Oxford Center released an email claiming that a fire broke out inside the hyperbaric oxygen chamber. “The safety and wellbeing of the children we serve is our highest priority,” the facility stated. “We have never had anything like this happen in over 15 years of providing this therapy. We do not know why or how this happened and will fully cooperate with all investigations.”
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy involves placing a patient in a sealed, high-pressure chamber filled with pure oxygen, which can be up to five times the normal level. Although marketed as a healing treatment, it comes with risks. Fire officials explained that such high concentrations of oxygen in a pressurised space can be dangerously combustible. “This kind of explosion is extremely rare, but we are still working to determine what caused it,” said Troy Fire Lt. Keith Young.
As investigations continue, the case has sparked outrage over unregulated medical treatments and the risks some facilities take in pursuit of profit. For Thomas Cooper’s family, what was meant to be a routine therapy session turned into an unimaginable nightmare.