TROY (WWJ) -- Four people charged in connection to the death of 5-year-old boy in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber explosion in Troy are headed to trial.
A Troy District Court judge bound all four over to the 6th Circuit Court, following a hearing on Tuesday.
Oxford Center Founder and CEO, Tamela Peterson, 58, of Brighton, Safety Manager Jeffrey Mosteller, 64, of Clinton Township, and management assistant Gary Marken, 65, of Spring Arbor, were bound over on one count of Second-Degree Murder, a potential life offense, or alternatively, one count of Involuntary Manslaughter, a 15-year felony. Aleta Moffitt, 60, of Rochester Hills, the operator of the hyperbaric chamber, was bound over on one count of Involuntary Manslaughter and one count of Medical Records – Intentionally Placing False Information on Chart, a four-year felony.
The boy was killed in January, 2025, when the chamber he was in caught fire and exploded during an oxygen therapy session.
His mother was also severely burned in the incident.
The Oxford Center, which also operated an outlet in Brighton, advertised hyperbaric oxygen therapy for children with autism, ADHD and autoimmune diseases.
In filing the charges, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said the clinic was an "unscrupulous business" that put children at unnecessary and serious risk in the name of profit.
In a statement Tuesday, Nessel said: “When professionals entrusted with the care of our children abandon the standards meant to keep them safe, they must be held accountable. I am relieved that this case will proceed to trial, where we will continue to pursue justice for Thomas and his family.”
According to a GoFundMe set up to raise money for the Thomas' family, he will be remembered as a loving child, whose favorite activities included running, swimming and playing video games: "He was the smartest and cutest kid that liked to zoom, zoom, zoom."
A pretrial date has not yet been set.
WWJ's Tim Pamplin is at the courthouse. Hear his live reports on your radio: AM 950. >>LISTEN LIVE HERE