By Dylan Goetz
mlive.com
OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich – The owner and three employees of the Oxford Center will stand trial on felony charges in connection with the death of a 5-year-old when a hyperbaric chamber exploded.
Owner Tamela Peterson, 58, Safety Manager Jeffrey Mosteller, 64, Gary Marken, 65, and Aleta Moffitt, 60, were bound over Tuesday, Feb. 10, on charges in the 6th Circuit Court, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced.
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Peterson, Mosteller and Marken each face one count of second-degree murder or alternatively one count of involuntary manslaughter.
Moffitt faces one count of involuntary manslaughter and one count of intentionally placing false information on a chart.
Five-year-old Thomas Cooper was in the hyperbaric chamber undergoing treatment when it caught fire from the inside and exploded, according to a news release from Nessel’s office.
The Oxford Center provided therapy for children with various health conditions, including autism, ADHD and autoimmune diseases. The company was located in Troy.
The National Fire Protection Association and manufacturer of the hyperbaric chamber both publish strict safety protocols, which were allegedly deliberately discarded at the time of Cooper’s death, per the release.
“When professionals entrusted with the care of our children abandon the standards meant to keep them safe, they must be held accountable,” Nessel said in a statement. “I am relieved that this case will proceed to trial, where we will continue to pursue justice for Thomas and his family.”
The explosion took place on Jan. 31, 2025.
Troy police and firefighters were dispatched to a medical facility located at 165 Kirts Blvd. shortly before 8 a.m. for reports of an explosion.
Firefighters were able to contain the blaze to the room where the explosion occurred, officials said.
The boy’s mother suffered injuries to her arm as she was standing next to the chamber when it exploded, police said at the scene.
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