TROY, Mich. – Four people have been charged in connection to the death of a 5-year-old boy who was killed in a hyperbaric chamber explosion in Oakland County.
Thomas Cooper was killed on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, when the hyperbaric chamber he was receiving treatment in at the Oxford Center in Troy exploded.
Four Oxford Center employees were arrested on Monday, March 10, 2025, according to Attorney General Dana Nessel.
Nessel announced second-degree murder charges against the following employees:
- Oxford Center Founder and CEO Tamela Peterson, 58, of Brighton
- Oxford Center Safety Manager Jeffrey Mosteller, 64, of Clinton Township
- Oxford Center Primary Management Assistant Gary Marken, 65, of Spring Arbor
They have also been charged with alternative counts of involuntary manslaughter, meaning a jury will be able to decide which charge properly fits the defendants' conduct.
A fourth employee, Aleta Moffitt, 60, of Rochester Hills, who was operating the hyperbaric chamber at the time of the explosion, was charged with involuntary manslaughter and falsifying medical records.
All four defendants are being held at the Troy Lock-Up Facility and will likely be moved to the Oakland County Jail following their arraignment, according to Nessel.
They are all scheduled to be arraigned in the afternoon on March 11, 2025.
“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,” Nessel said during the press conference.
Criminal Bureau Chief Danielle Hagaman-Clark said that officials do not believe a fire suppression system was installed in the hyperbaric chamber that the boy died in.
More details about their findings will be released during the preliminary examination.
“This tragedy could have been prevented if proper safety protocols were followed,” Nessel said. “Instead, deliberate negligence and a blatant disregard for safety cost a child his life. I appreciate the investigatory efforts of the Troy Police Department. My office remains committed to seeking justice for Thomas and holding those responsible accountable.”
The Oxford Center opened in 2008. After the explosion, the fire department said the facility would be closed “until further notice” while authorities investigated. Nessel confirmed that the Oxford Center’s other location in Brighton is also under investigation.
Nessel addressed questions about previous complaints regarding the Oxford Center and said that there had been ongoing investigations related to fraud, but none regarding the safety of hyperbaric chambers.
You can watch the full presser in the video below:
The family retained Fieger Law to represent the family of the 5-year-old boy who was killed and his mother, who was injured in the explosion. She was standing near the chamber when it exploded and sustained injuries to her arms.
A GoFundMe has been started to raise money to help the family.
The Oxford Center released the following statement on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025:
“This is an exceptionally difficult day for all of us.
“As law enforcement officials have shared, at our location in Troy, Michigan this morning, a fire started inside of a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. The child being treated in that chamber did not survive and the child’s mother was injured.
“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.
“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
What is hyperbaric oxygen therapy?
According to the FDA, hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is known for treating scuba and deep-sea divers affected by the rapid change in pressure around them.
The FDA said it can also be used to treat other health problems, including carbon monoxide poisoning and diabetic foot ulcers. The increased air pressure in the chamber helps the lungs collect more oxygen, which can get more oxygen to the tissues that need, and help the body heal and fight certain infections.
As of July 2021, the FDA has only cleared hyperbaric chambers for 13 disorders. HBOT is being studied for other conditions, including COVID-19, but the FDA has not cleared or authorized the use of any HBOT device to treat anything other than the 13 disorders listed.
As of Jan. 31, 2025, the Oxford Center had more than 100 conditions listed on its website in the hyperbaric oxygen therapy page as “conditions treated.”
The FDA recommends those who need treatment get it at an accredited facility saying, “Explosions and fires have occurred in HBOT chambers that have not been reviewed by the FDA and are located at unaccredited facilities.”
The FDA said the facility should be accredited by the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society. According to the UHMS map, only two locations in Michigan have been accredited and they are in Grand Rapids and Niles.
In a statement to Local 4, the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) said that state law does not require hyperbaric oxygen facilities to be licensed or regulated by LARA.
