In a tragic incident that has sent shockwaves throughout Michigan, four individuals face charges in connection with the death of a 5-year-old boy, Thomas Cooper. The young boy was "incinerated" inside a hyperbaric chamber that exploded at the Oxford Center, a medical facility located in Troy, on January 31. The charges, announced by Michigan’s Attorney General Dana Nessel at a news conference on Tuesday, include second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter.
Thomas Cooper, from Royal Oak, Michigan, was pronounced dead at the scene following the catastrophic explosion. The Oxford Center, which specializes in hyperbaric oxygen therapy, has been under scrutiny since the incident. Despite the center's claims that "the safety and wellbeing of the children we serve is our highest priority," it does not appear on the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society’s February 2025 list of accredited facilities. The FDA also recommends that consumers use only those hyperbaric centers that are inspected and accredited by this society.
The facility’s manager, Gary Marken, 65, and safety manager, Gary Mosteller, 64, face charges of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. The center’s founder and chief executive, Tamela Peterson, 58, is also charged with second-degree murder. Meanwhile, Aleta Moffitt, 60, who operated the chamber at the time of the explosion, is charged with involuntary manslaughter and intentionally placing false medical information on a medical records chart.
Raymond Cassar, Marken’s attorney, expressed his surprise at the charges, stating that the second-degree murder charge comes as "a total shock" to him and his client. He emphasized that "this was a tragic accident," acknowledging the profound loss experienced by Thomas's family. Cassar urged that experts should determine the cause of the incident before passing judgment.
"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" – Raymond Cassar
Dana Nessel highlighted the severity of fires in hyperbaric chambers, remarking on their almost certain fatality.
"Fires inside a hyperbaric chamber are considered a terminal event. 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" – Dana Nessel
She further explained how quickly disaster struck on that fateful day.
"A single spark it appears ignited into a fully involved fire that claimed Thomas’s life within seconds" – Dana Nessel
The Oxford Center had initially stated their willingness to cooperate with investigations into the incident, expressing confusion over its cause. Despite their assertion that nothing similar had occurred in their 15 years of providing therapy, investigators found that the center routinely operated sensitive equipment beyond its service lifetime and disregarded essential safety protocols.
"Nothing like this has happened in our more than 15 years of providing this type of therapy. We do not know why or how this happened and will participate in all of the investigations that now need to take place" – The Oxford Center
The FDA has cleared hyperbaric chambers for treating specific disorders such as severe burns and decompression sickness but warns against using facilities not accredited by recognized bodies for other conditions. The Oxford Center advertised treatment for various conditions not included on the FDA-cleared list.