4 charged in Michigan boy’s death in hyperbaric chamber explosion appear in court
By Joseph Buczek
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Michigan (WWJ) — The four people charged in connection with the death of a 5-year-old boy who was killed in a hyperbaric chamber explosion in Troy, Michigan, appeared in court Wednesday morning for a probable cause conference.
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, who was killed on Jan. 31, 2025, when a hyperbaric chamber he was inside of exploded.
Jeff Mosteller, 64, of Clinton Township, the center’s safety director, and Gary Marken, 65, of Spring Arbor, the primary management assistant, are also charged with second-degree murder. Aleta Moffitt, 60, of Rochester Hills, was charged with one count of involuntary manslaughter and one count of intentionally placing false information on a medical record as a medical provider. Moffitt was the operator of the hyperbaric chamber at the time of the boy’s death.
Marken, Moffitt and Mosteller appeared in the 52nd District Court on Wednesday, while Peterson appeared via Zoom. During Wednesday’s proceedings, Judge Maureen M. McGinnis established dates for motion hearings for June and July, as well as a preliminary examination on Sept. 15 and Sept. 16.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel in March charged the four in connection with the boy’s death.
On the day of the explosion, investigators say a daily maintenance check was not performed and a pre-dive safety check was not conducted. Nessel said that 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 boy’s mother was in the room at the time of the treatment and was injured in the explosion. Following the explosion, 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.
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