4 arraigned in 5-year-old Michigan boy's death in hyperbaric chamber explosion
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has charged four people in connection with the death of a 5-year-old boy who was killed in a hyperbaric chamber explosion in Troy, Michigan.
The four were arrested Monday morning and arraigned Tuesday afternoon.
Tami Peterson, 58, of Brighton, the CEO and founder of the Oxford Center, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Thomas Cooper. Peterson was issued a $2 million bond.
Jeff Mosteller, 64, of Clinton Township, the center's safety director, and Gary Marken, 65, of Spring Arbor, the primary management assistant, have also been charged with second-degree murder. All three have been charged with alternative counts of involuntary manslaughter.
Marken and Mosteller were each given $250,000 cash bonds. Peterson, Marken and Mosteller are all due back in court on March 26.
Nessel has also charged the operator of the hyperbaric chamber at the time of the boy's death, Aleta Moffitt, 60, of Rochester Hills, with one count of involuntary manslaughter and one count of intentionally placing false information on a medical record as a medical provider.
A judge also ordered that the Oxford Center locations in Brighton and Troy stop using hyperbaric chambers.
"This tragedy could have been prevented if proper safety protocols were followed," Nessel said. "Instead, deliberate negligence and a blatant disregard for safety cost a child his life. I appreciate the investigatory efforts of the Troy Police Department. My office remains committed to seeking justice for Thomas and holding those responsible accountable."
"After an extensive and difficult investigation, these arrests reflect the dedication and commitment of our investigators through this process," added Troy Police Department Chief of Police Josh Jones. "We appreciate the partnership with the Michigan Attorney General's Office leading up to the arrests yesterday and as we move forward."
Investigators have uncovered that on the day of the deadly explosion, a daily maintenance check was not performed and a pre-dive safety check was not conducted. Nessel said no medical doctor or safety supervisor was present during the treatment and that the treatment was not performed by a licensed technician. Yearly inspections of the hyperbaric chamber as recommended by the manufacturer were reportedly not conducted and an essential patient-worn grounding strap was not used.
"The Oxford Center routinely operated sensitive and lethally dangerous hyperbaric chambers beyond their expected service lifetime and in complete disregard of vital safety measures and practices considered essential by medical and technical professionals," Nessel said.
CBS News Detroit reached out to the Oxford Center for comment and received the following statement:
"After cooperating with multiple investigations starting immediately after the tragic accident in January, we are disappointed to see charges filed.
"The timing of these charges is surprising, as the typical protocol after a fire-related accident has not yet been completed. There are still outstanding questions about how this occurred. Yet, the Attorney General's office proceeded to pursue charges without those answers.
"Our highest priority every day is the safety and wellbeing of the children and families we serve, which continues during this process."
Investigators say Thomas was in the chamber when it exploded on Jan. 31, 2025. The boy's mother was in the room at the time and was injured in the explosion. In a news conference shortly after the incident, Troy police and fire departments did not indicate what may have led to the explosion but said that hyperbaric chambers are filled with 100% oxygen and are, therefore, combustible devices.
Within days of the tragedy, the family retained Fieger Law, which alleges that the center had a history of being involved in questionable business practices.
Attorney James Harrington told CBS News Detroit last month that his office was getting ready to file a lawsuit demanding answers into what led to his death. Harrington said the lawsuit will be filed pending their investigation.
"Under no circumstances ... should anything ever like this happen and the only way this happens is negligence," Harrington said. "This industry in Michigan is unregulated. There's not a lot of science to back these claims that are being made as to what ailments and problems can actually be fixed or better by this hyperbaric treatment."
Nessel acknowledged Tuesday that her office conducted investigations of the Oxford Center related to fraud, but her office was not investigating issues with the hyperbaric chamber at the time of the explosion. She also confirmed that her office is investigating the Oxford Center's Brighton location but did not elaborate further.
"To make money as a business, the Oxford Center operated these machines and offered unfounded treatments to patients when medical science contradicted these uses of their services," Nessel said. "This was an unscrupulous business operating powerful machines beyond the manufacturer's intended term of use on children's bodies over and over again to provide unaccredited and a debunked so-called treatments, chiefly because it bought cash in the door."
