Four people have been slapped with charges after a 5-year-old boy was “incinerated” in a pressurized oxygen chamber while being treated at a Michigan alternative medicine center earlier this year, officials said Tuesday.
Thomas Cooper was killed when the chamber he was in suddenly exploded as he was receiving hyperbaric oxygen therapy for ADHD and sleep apnea at the Oxford Center in Detroit on Jan. 31.
His mother, Annie Cooper, was standing next to the chamber at the time and suffered significant burns as she desperately tried to save her little boy, authorities said.
“A single spark it appears ignited into a fully involved fire that claimed Thomas’ life within seconds,” Attorney General Dana Nessel said as she announced the charges against the center’s owner and three employees.
The center’s founder and chief executive, Tamela Peterson, 58, was charged with second-degree murder. The facility’s manager, Gary Marken, 65, and safety manager, Gary Mosteller, 64, were hit with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter charges.
Meanwhile, Aleta Moffitt, 60, who was operating the chamber when it exploded, was charged with involuntary manslaughter and intentionally placing false medical information on a medical records chart.
All four staffers were slated to be arraigned on the charges in Troy District Court later Tuesday.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which involves having patients breathe in 100% oxygen in a pressurized chamber, has been cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration for a list of 13 disorders — including severe burns, decompression sickness and non-healing wounds.
But the list doesn’t include many of the disorders advertised by the Oxford Center — or the two the little boy was being treated for at the time of the explosion, according to the Attorney General’s office.
Nessel said her office extensively consulted experts on hyperbaric chambers and treatments before bringing the charges.
“Horrifying and simple conclusions were reached,” she said.
“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.”
“Fires inside a hyperbaric chamber are considered a terminal event,” she added. “Every such fire is almost certainly fatal, and this is why many procedures and essential safety practices have been developed to keep a fire from ever occurring.”
Meanwhile, Nessel ripped the center for unscrupulously putting kids’ bodies at risk through unaccredited and debunked treatments — simply because it brought cash through the door.
In the wake of the tragedy, the center had stressed that “the safety and wellbeing of the children we serve is our highest priority.”
“Nothing like this has happened in our more than 15 years of providing this type of therapy,” it said in a statement.
“We do not know why or how this happened and will participate in all of the investigations that now need to take place.”
Raymond Cassar, Oxford Center’s manager attorney, said the second-degree murder rap was “a total shock.”
“For fairness, he is presumed innocent,” Marken’s attorney said. “This was a tragic accident, and our thoughts and our prayers go out to the family of this little boy. I want to remind everyone that this was an accident, not an intentional act. We’re going to have to leave this up to the experts to find out what was the cause of this.”
Separately, Moffitt’s lawyer, Ellen Michaels, extended prayers and sympathy to Cooper’s family while asking for “patience and fairness as this process unfolds.”
“This event has had a profound impact on so many, including my client, the community, and the first responders,” she said in a statement.
“I pray for healing for all those affected. Aleta Moffitt is a dedicated professional with many years of experience in the health care industry. She has always been a committed and hardworking individual, adhering to all corporate policies and procedures while prioritizing the well-being of her patients.”
With Post wires