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November 2, 2012 4:27 PM

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Michigan man faces abuse charges after death of 400-pound wife

By: Crimesider Staff
Topics: Daily Blotter

Michael Brooks is being charged with second-degree abuse of a vulnerable adult

(CBS) WARREN, Mich.- A Michigan man facing abuse charged after the death of his 400-pound wife,was arraigned via video Thursday , CBS Detroit reports.

Michael Brooks is accused of ignoring his Yolanda Reese-Brooks, 40, who died of morbid obesity and other injuries last week. Authorities say he allowed her to die in a bed surrounded by maggots and her own waste. He is being charged with second-degree abuse of a vulnerable adult.

According to the prosecutor's office, Brooks became his wife's primary caretaker after she sustained a crushed pelvis and ruptured her bladder in a 2011 car accident.

Emergency crews had to knock down a wall to extract Reese-Brooks from her apartment after she died.

A $10,000 personal bond has been set for Brooks, who can stay with relatives but is not allowed to have any contact with his children.

Brooks' sister was present in the courtroom on Thursday, "I love him and no matter what we're gonna support him," she said.

Brooks will be back in court in two weeks for preliminary examination before Judge John Chmura.

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by lokibear2 November 5, 2012 10:06 AM EST: there is no excuse for this man. All he had to do was ask for help. Public Aid would of paid for nursing home care. I am an administrator and there would not have been a problem getting her approved. He may have been overwhelmed but letting her die in those conditions is unexcusable regardless of race.; Reply to this comment


by Dignity4all November 5, 2012 5:11 AM EST: This is a tragedy in many ways. This man should not be charged with abuse in my view. This is heaping more misery upon misery for him. It seems he was overwhelmed by a situation that was out of control. I have to ask that if he was not a black man would the charges have been so quickly made? I don't know... He needed help... Why discharge this women to an obvious impossible situation.. how could anyone deal with this alone? Did he have health insurance to pay for help? So many questions... I just find it too easy to 'charge' someone rather than to find out what when wrong and try to get support for those who are in dire situations like this.. to let them know there is help if they ask for it. That picture of him being booked says it all for me.; Reply to this comment

by WillowSunstar November 4, 2012 8:46 PM EST

There is something suspicious about this. I know people who weigh that much and they can walk. Heck there was a story in the news not long ago about a 600-pound guy who went to the gym and lost weight. Obviously he could still move. How did she get the other injuries? If she wasn't walking, then they weren't from falling down.

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by dstacked November 7, 2012 1:54 AM EST: did you read th story? the wife crushed her pelvis and bladder in a car accident. That's why she was bedridden. She wasn't simply bedridden because she was 400 pounds. I'm almost positive she wasn't 400 pounds when she had the accident


by taxed01 November 4, 2012 3:35 PM EST: It would appear that she was super fat long before the accident. How did she manage then?; Reply to this comment

by dfw_mom November 3, 2012 2:41 PM EDT

Why were there not services available for a 400 pound bedridden with a crushed pelvis? At some point, she was institutionalized, and at some point, someone RELEASED THE WOMAN INTO A SITUATION WHERE ANY SANE PERSON COULD SEE THAT SHE COULD NOT POSSIBLY RECEIVE CARE.

Our society turned their backs on this woman and her husband, and then made him the villain of the piece.

NO ONE can life a four hundred pound woman to change her diapers, alone.

That's insane.

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by rwsmith29456 November 4, 2012 4:20 AM EST: My comments exactly.


by msspahr November 4, 2012 2:33 PM EST: Well said, dfw_mom. I know from my career as a nurse approximately how many people it takes to turn and move a 400 lb. person. Her husband could not have done it alone. Did the people who released her from a rehab facility actually think her husband would have three to four others available to him 24/7 to help move and clean his wife? My heart goes out to this man. I'll bet he did the very best he could do under the circulstances.


by notredamegirl77 November 4, 2012 10:02 PM EST: Best comment on here hands down and you commented with out being insensitive or making a joke out of it.


by Dignity4all November 5, 2012 5:12 AM EST: Agreed 100%

by VA_Jill November 3, 2012 1:34 PM EDT

How much did she weigh *before* the accident? From personal experience I can tell you how hard it is to care for a patient of that size. Even with help (home care, which he possibly couldn't afford) it is difficult to care for, and particularly to clean an immobile patient of that size. It looks to me like there was a lack of follow-through by the hospital, where she undoubtedly was following the accident, to determine what kind of situation she was going home to. Most lay people have no clue about what home care services are available or how to ask for them. Or maybe she used up all her Medicaid days. We don't have the whole story here.

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by notredamegirl77 November 4, 2012 10:06 PM EST: I see this might not make it a good case for the DA. There is to many factors that play here.

by voxpopulus November 3, 2012 12:50 AM EDT

I may be confused here, but whatever happened to the wife's willpower?

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by notredamegirl77 November 4, 2012 10:07 PM EST: A person becomes so depressed and weak minded that they let them self go.

by Necroscope84 November 2, 2012 11:14 PM EDT

While I doubt I could take care of someone who's bedridden from obescity I also couldn't just let them waste away. How hard is it to pick up a phone, dial 911 and say I'm losing it, I can't deal with her anymore. Also sounds like her car wreck was to blame for alot of it. She may have been big but wasn't bedridden until after the accident.

For better or worse means just that. If you can't take the worst then call for help. 911 is there for alot of reasons.

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by IPonUall2 November 3, 2012 12:21 PM EDT: This sort of reminds me of my ex-fiance' She ran off with her predator and aborted a baby, and married him. He then got into a motorcycle accident and has been a quad on wheels ever since....I was robbed of revenge, but justice was served by their own actions. Now he neither touches my ex, nor makes love to her either....she cleans his waste, and urine bags daily, which suits me fine....
I have moved on with my life and have a good career.

by browniesanyone November 2, 2012 9:45 PM EDT

his sister could have been there to help if she's so interested in supporting him now. he has no excuse for leaving her in filth, but it's also obvious that the job of taking care of a woman with those extenuating circumstances was too much for him to take on.

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by notredamegirl77 November 4, 2012 10:08 PM EST: I was thinking the same thing!!! Where was the rest of the family?

by margieboy November 2, 2012 5:35 PM EDT

I genuinely feel for this man. We need a better way to get care to people like his wife instead of relying on whatever family member is around. How many people who would condemn him here would take on the job of wiping the butt of a 400 pound person several times a day? Yes, he probably brought her the food that helped her get fat, but she probably manipulated him into doing it through guilt. And he probably took care of her as well as he could until he couldn't.

And I think it is a shame that he cannot see his kids. They've lost their mom, they need their dad.

Caregiving is hard and if it takes a village to end up with the reward of a balanced adult in raising children, then consider what it should take for the no reward of caring for someone who will not change or grow. I'm not saying people don't deserve care, I'm just saying that for every person that requires care, we need to provide enough resources so that caregivers don't get discouraged and worn out and used up.

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by Dignity4all November 5, 2012 5:11 AM EST: I agree on all points..

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