MI - 4 arrested after Thomas, 4, dies in hyperbaric chamber explosion - Troy, 31 Jan 2025

[Goecke]

It's yet another piece of junk designed to separate parents from a vast amount of money on the promise of giving them a 'normal' child.

It's just as much crap as chelation, vaccine avoidance, bleach injections, exorcism, restraint, extreme diets, overdoses of vitamins, aversive punishment including electric shocks, and every other cruel and useless thing that's been marketed to families for the last century.

This garbage kills kids. It's unregulated and there's absolutely nothing that suggests that any of it has any effect at all on neurotype, genetics, or quality of life for the child.

MOO

You said it far better than I could have. I was specifically thinking of chelation "therapy" and the little boy who died from it a few years ago when I heard of this.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2025/03/13/tthomas-cooper-boy-would-still-be-alive-but-oxford-center-failed-use-grounding-wire-troy-detective/82367829007/

Grounding wires, or safety straps worn around a wrist to prevent static electricity inside a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, were found inside a "junk drawer" at a Troy medical facility where a chamber exploded, killing a boy, and could've saved the child's life, according to testimony by a Troy police detective.

A transcript of Detective Danielle Trigger's testimony to 52-4 District Court Magistrate Elizabeth Chiappelli, given March 7, sheds new light on the Jan. 31 explosion at the Oxford Center. Thomas Cooper of Royal Oak was inside the hyperbaric chamber when it exploded and died.

Thomas, 5, was on his 36th treatment out of 40 in the hyperbaric chamber, which creates a pressurized environment of pure oxygen, when it exploded. His mother, standing nearby, tried to rescue her son and was burned on her arms. Police have not revealed what the boy was being treated for...

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Deep dive into allegations against 4 Oakland County workers in 5-year-old’s hyperbaric chamber death

We’ve learned much more about the specific allegations against the CEO and three other employees of an Oakland County health care facility where a 5-year-old boy was killed in a hyperbaric chamber explosion.

www.clickondetroit.com

TROY, Mich. – We’ve learned much more about the specific allegations against the CEO and three other employees of an Oakland County health care facility where a 5-year-old boy was killed in a hyperbaric chamber explosion.

The explosion happened Jan. 31, 2025, at the Oxford Center in Troy. Five-year-old Thomas Cooper was receiving treatment inside the hyperbaric chamber when it exploded, killing him and injuring his mother...

 

[tlcya]

“Conversations with investigators at the attorney general’s office made Troy investigators aware that the CEO of the company, Tamela Peterson, along with her IT personnel, had a history of tampering with and/or destroying evidence, specifically CCTV footage and records related to the investigation that the AG’s office had previously been conducting.”
[snip]
“Multiple tips came in from previous patients and previous employees of the Oxford Center,” Trigger said. “Everyone interviewed, some of which had received or administered hundreds of treatments, all indicated that a grounding wrist strap had never been utilized.”
[snip]
“They further advised that they had written documentation between themselves and Peterson advising her that the cycle count on the chamber that had exploded was over 20,000 cycles when they were at the facility in 2022,” Trigger said. “I reviewed photos of the chamber cycle counter from the date of the incident that were taken on scene, which showed that the chamber cycle count on that date was 19,894, which would be consistent with the rollbacks reported by ex-employees.”
Deep dive into allegations against 4 Oakland County workers in 5-year-old’s hyperbaric chamber death

So much more at the link about the lack of maintenance to the chamber, the lack of safety protocols being followed, the lack of safety equipment use, inappropriate items placed within teh chamber with the patients, etc.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I wanted to know more about this place. The Oxford Center: Integrative Therapy Customized Treatment

 

[tlcya]

ADD and ADHD Alternative Treatments - Proven Results
I don't see sleep apnea on the list of items Hyperbolic Oxygen Chambers is known to treat. I am still curious to know exactly who how and when little guy was diagnosed and with what.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Experts: Pillows in hyperbaric chambers posed fire risk at Oakland County facility where child was killed

Pillows that posed a fire risk were among the issues with safety protocols that experts discovered at the facility where a 5-year-old boy was killed in a hyperbaric chamber.

www.clickondetroit.com

OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – New details have emerged in the death of a 5-year-old boy who was killed in a hyperbaric chamber explosion, giving more insight into the specific allegations against the four workers at the Oakland County facility who’ve been charged.

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. His mother, who was standing near the chamber at the time of the incident, was injured...

 

[Herat]

A course of 40 hyperbaric chamber treatments authorized for a 5 year old? I wonder which healthcare agency pays for this, surely not Medicaid.

This kind of francise must be hugely lucrative. 40 treatments? I'm astonished.

Using high oxygen saturation gases can have very dangerous long-term lung damage, too.

 

[Herat]

“Conversations with investigators at the attorney general’s office made Troy investigators aware that the CEO of the company, Tamela Peterson, along with her IT personnel, had a history of tampering with and/or destroying evidence, specifically CCTV footage and records related to the investigation that the AG’s office had previously been conducting.”
[snip]
“Multiple tips came in from previous patients and previous employees of the Oxford Center,” Trigger said. “Everyone interviewed, some of which had received or administered hundreds of treatments, all indicated that a grounding wrist strap had never been utilized.”
[snip]
“They further advised that they had written documentation between themselves and Peterson advising her that the cycle count on the chamber that had exploded was over 20,000 cycles when they were at the facility in 2022,” Trigger said. “I reviewed photos of the chamber cycle counter from the date of the incident that were taken on scene, which showed that the chamber cycle count on that date was 19,894, which would be consistent with the rollbacks reported by ex-employees.”
Deep dive into allegations against 4 Oakland County workers in 5-year-old’s hyperbaric chamber death

So much more at the link about the lack of maintenance to the chamber, the lack of safety protocols being followed, the lack of safety equipment use, inappropriate items placed within teh chamber with the patients, etc.

Jeebus, what a mess that place was. The profound lack of compliance with required procedures from the manufacturers and from the patient care are stunning.

They were required to have a physician on site during treatment. Never ever happened at that facility, nor were there physician PA's or even RN's.

Negligence in not using grounding wrist straps or following the proper procedures to inspect the patients so they did no have bandages or lotions on their skin, nor was their clothing scrutinized to assure it was 100% cotton.

The pillows were 100% polyester, not cotton.

The blankets were taken directly from a drier ( huge static electricity hazard).

Mindful negligence by all involved and attempt to flee and destroy information by the owner. Strange business dealings that look like an attempt to hide income by means of using overseas currency.

They all deserve to go to prison. The owner/director should be incarcerated for the rest of her miserable life.

 

[Herat]

Oh, and they were thinking of allowing hyperbaric treatments for erectile dysfuntion patients. Pretty sure that is not a medically valid procedure.

Bunch of charlatans running a massively dangerous scheme.

 

[al66pine]

The Oxford Center: Integrative Therapy Customized Treatment

The Oxford Center treats a wide variety of conditions using the Oxford Model, our integrative therapy approach provides customized treatment plans.

theoxfordcenter.com

Our Story - The Oxford Center

Tami Peterson founded The Oxford Center in 2008 after struggling to find medical help for her daughter, JeAnnah.

theoxfordcenter.com

​

"Our Story​

The Oxford Center opened in 2008 after Founder and CEO Dr. Tami Peterson witnessed the healing potential of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for her daughter, JeAnnah....."
"... diagnosed with viral encephalitis. JeAnnah went from a happy, functioning 9-year-old girl to functioning at the level of an 11-month-old infant in one day...." starts in 2006.

Dau's tretment would be " $2,000 a day,... would need at least 40."

Here's waaay more:

Tami's Story - The Oxford Center

I will never forget the day the doctors sent my daughter home with no hope. That day should have been the end. But instead, it became the beginning. It was the last day of school in 2006, and I think I was more excited than my children for the summer. As a teacher, I always […]

theoxfordcenter.com

Presents origin of the business stemming from a medical miracle. A very dramatic story.
The center opened in spring 2008. Pretty fast.

The page re "Oxford Kids Foundation" identifies her as "Dr. Tami Peterson, Ph.D."
I did not learn PhD in what field, no info re uni which issued degree. Could have missed it.

 

[Herat]

Looks to me as though "Dr. Tami Peterson" has a Ph.D. in Special Education.

This is not a medical degree and does not qualify her to be the required supervising physician that licensed Hyperbaric Oxygen Centers are required to staff with. It actually does not allow her to physically examine the patients they treat, nor to recommend or monitory any treatments or outcomes.

She has a big sob story personal testimonial which cannot be viewed as validated scientific expertise. She seems to have some association with an MD who appears to be searching for any and all condititions that Hyperbartic Therapy could be used for, especially those outside of the current validated therapies.

So quasi-homeopathic abuse of a highly dangerous therapy she is not qualified to direct or manage. A decades-long pattern of failure to provide industry and manufacturer standards and maintenance. Failure to show rigorous mangement of staff such that they were willfully ignoring safety standards.

Then there is her attempt to flee arrest, remove computer files, and hide her phone. Not to mention the strange international currency shuffling, that hint at money laundering and likely tax avoidance.

I hope LE also notifies the IRS about the international money transfers and potential for tax fraud. That should shut down this money mill.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

‘Whatever gets bodies in chambers’: What police say Oxford Center CEO texted about hyperbaric treatments

Court documents have revealed some of the text messages that the Oxford Center CEO sent about hyperbaric chambers and the 5-year-old boy who died in one of the facility's machines

www.clickondetroit.com

DH and I have been discussing this tragedy and wonder if "patients" are referred to this place for treatment or if they learn about it via social media. I can't imagine any reputable physician placing a patient in such an unsafe environment with unqualified people running the place.

 

[Herat]

‘Whatever gets bodies in chambers’: What police say Oxford Center CEO texted about hyperbaric treatments

Court documents have revealed some of the text messages that the Oxford Center CEO sent about hyperbaric chambers and the 5-year-old boy who died in one of the facility's machines

www.clickondetroit.com

DH and I have been discussing this tragedy and wonder if "patients" are referred to this place for treatment or if they learn about it via social media. I can't imagine any reputable physician placing a patient in such an unsafe environment with unqualified people running the place.

There are valid uses of hyperbaric chambers for medical care, including burn healing, diabetitc skin, soft tissue and bone infections, preservation of surgical skin flap and transplants, as well as various gas intoxications.

John's Hopkins hospital has a piece about hyperbaric oxygen treatment and it's indication are listed, none of which include behavioural disorders or sleep apnea.

The physician that owner Tami Peterson had used to get treatment for her disabled daughter seems to have been one of the entrepreneur type of physicians who own a business and can get around self-referral laws. He seems to have had an interest in promoting hyperbaric treatment for any number of chronic diseases, often those where social media creates a trend for overdiagnosis or self-directed therapy. How these people come up with the funds for $80,000 hyperbaric oxygen treatments is of concern. I don't know if Medicaid or conventional insurances pay for his stuff.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, or HBOT, is a type of treatment used to speed up healing of carbon monoxide poisoning, gangrene, stubborn wounds, and infections in which tissues are starved for oxygen.

www.hopkinsmedicine.org

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Michigan boy's death raises concerns about unregulated hyperbaric oxygen therapy

State legislators want greater oversight of the wellness industry after 5-year-old Thomas Cooper was killed in a hyperbaric chamber fire in January.

www.nbcnews.com

The death of a 5-year-old in a hyperbaric chamber in Michigan has prompted calls for more oversight of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in the largely unsupervised wellness industry before another tragedy occurs.

Thomas Cooper was killed Jan. 31 when a fire broke out in a hyperbaric chamber at the Oxford Center, an alternative medicine clinic in the Detroit suburb of Troy. On Monday, the Oxford Center founder and CEO and three of her employees were charged in Thomas’ death.

Hyperbaric chambers are pressurized, tubelike devices that people lie or sit in for treatment, depending on the type of chamber. The therapy involves breathing in air that consists of 100% oxygen, which helps the body heal more quickly but also creates a highly combustible environment. The treatment method has been cleared by the Food and Drug Administration to help over a dozen conditions including carbon monoxide poisoning, severe wounds and decompression sickness in scuba divers...

 

[Herat]

Michigan boy's death raises concerns about unregulated hyperbaric oxygen therapy

State legislators want greater oversight of the wellness industry after 5-year-old Thomas Cooper was killed in a hyperbaric chamber fire in January.

www.nbcnews.com

The death of a 5-year-old in a hyperbaric chamber in Michigan has prompted calls for more oversight of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in the largely unsupervised wellness industry before another tragedy occurs.

Thomas Cooper was killed Jan. 31 when a fire broke out in a hyperbaric chamber at the Oxford Center, an alternative medicine clinic in the Detroit suburb of Troy. On Monday, the Oxford Center founder and CEO and three of her employees were charged in Thomas’ death.

Hyperbaric chambers are pressurized, tubelike devices that people lie or sit in for treatment, depending on the type of chamber. The therapy involves breathing in air that consists of 100% oxygen, which helps the body heal more quickly but also creates a highly combustible environment. The treatment method has been cleared by the Food and Drug Administration to help over a dozen conditions including carbon monoxide poisoning, severe wounds and decompression sickness in scuba divers...

Note that the FDA has not cleared this dangerous treatment for sleep apnea or behavioural or mental disorders, nor for erectily dysfunction.

 

[tlcya]

When investigators reviewed cell phones and laptops after Cooper’s death, they discovered that Peterson had sent still photos of the boy burning inside the chamber, which were taken from CCTV footage.

In the messages she sent with those photos, Trigger said Peterson stated “something to the effect of, ‘If my leg was on fire, I would at least try to hit it and put it out. He just laid there and did nothing.’”
‘Whatever gets bodies in chambers’: What police say Oxford Center CEO texted about hyperbaric treatments



Blaming the 4 year old?? Because he didn't try to put himself out when her chamber ignited him on fire?? are you flipping kidding me?! I hope she suffers the rest of her natural life. What a B.

 

[Herat]

When investigators reviewed cell phones and laptops after Cooper’s death, they discovered that Peterson had sent still photos of the boy burning inside the chamber, which were taken from CCTV footage.

In the messages she sent with those photos, Trigger said Peterson stated “something to the effect of, ‘If my leg was on fire, I would at least try to hit it and put it out. He just laid there and did nothing.’”
‘Whatever gets bodies in chambers’: What police say Oxford Center CEO texted about hyperbaric treatments



Blaming the 4 year old?? Because he didn't try to put himself out when her chamber ignited him on fire?? are you flipping kidding me?! I hope she suffers the rest of her natural life. What a B.

I am at a complete loss of why she would so something so wretched other than she was desperate to blame the death on someone or something other than her true massive negligence and greed.

I truly hope she is incarcerated for life without parole.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Two suspects in hyperbaric chamber fire post bond

The bond amount was lowered for a third suspect, records show.

www.detroitnews.com

Two of the four people charged in the hyperbaric chamber explosion that killed a young boy at a Troy medical facility have posted bond, while the bond amount was lowered Wednesday for a third suspect, records show.

Online court records show that bond for Jeffrey Alan Mosteller was lowered from $250,000, which was set at his arraignment March 11, to $50,000 during a hearing Wednesday.

His co-defendants Aleta Moffitt and Gary Marken posted bond Wednesday. Mosteller, 64, was the safety director at the Oxford Center, where a hyperbaric oxygen chamber exploded on Jan. 31. Moffitt was the operator the chamber and Marken was the facility's primary manager...

 

[borndem]

Jeebus, what a mess that place was. The profound lack of compliance with required procedures from the manufacturers and from the patient care are stunning.

They were required to have a physician on site during treatment. Never ever happened at that facility, nor were there physician PA's or even RN's.

Negligence in not using grounding wrist straps or following the proper procedures to inspect the patients so they did no have bandages or lotions on their skin, nor was their clothing scrutinized to assure it was 100% cotton.

The pillows were 100% polyester, not cotton.

The blankets were taken directly from a drier ( huge static electricity hazard).

Mindful negligence by all involved and attempt to flee and destroy information by the owner. Strange business dealings that look like an attempt to hide income by means of using overseas currency.

They all deserve to go to prison. The owner/director should be incarcerated for the rest of her miserable life.

Hear, hear!
No 5--10 year sentences, no. (I am just using my numbers here, Please know.)
A child is gone and his parents are devastated, I'm sure, for the rest of their lives.
I wonder how much information was given the parents when the parents were looking into the treatment(s). Grrrrr and SMH..