A woman charged with second-degree murder over the death of a toddler caused by her company’s hyperbaric chamber is accused of harassing witnesses in her case and trying to flee to China.
Tamela Peterson, 58, is the CEO and founder of the Oxford Center in Troy, Michigan, where, in January, a five-year-old receiving therapy in one of the center’s hyperbaric chambers died after the machine exploded.
She has been charged with second-degree murder and, yesterday, was given a $2million bond. She has pled not guilty.
In a press conference, prosecutors accused her of preparing to flee to China and said she had recently withdrawn a large amount of Iraqi currency.
Attorney General Chris Kessel said: ‘She has shown time after time that she has no problem trying to impede the investigation into her. There is no better way to impede an investigation than by not being here.’
Ms Peterson’s attorneys denied the claim and said she had a visa for China because she visited the country in August for her son’s wedding.
Three of her employees have also been charged in relation to the child’s death, and also have pled not guilty. An investigation into the incident claimed safety precautions for the hyperbaric chamber were not followed and its count of uses had been ‘turned back.’
Five-year-old Thomas Cooper was receiving hyperbaric therapy for sleep apnea and ADHD before he was killed when the chamber suddenly caught fire. His mother Annie also suffered severe burns after reaching into the flames to try to save him.
Tamela Peterson, 58, was accused of preparing to flee the US on a Chinese Visa. She has now been arrested and given a bail of $2million (She is pictured above in court in Troy, Michigan, on Tuesday)
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) involves entering a chamber of pressurized air that is 100 percent oxygen.
This makes the air inside highly flammable, requiring strict safety protocols to prevent ignition— even a single spark can trigger a fire.
Popularized by celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, it is alleged to have numerous health benefits including speeding recovery from injury and boosting circulation.
It can help with recovery by allowing the lungs to absorb more oxygen, helping to stimulate cell and tissue repair.
The boy was using the chamber for treating sleep apnea and attention-deficit/hyperactive-disorder, neither of which are approved uses.
He had previously taken multiple sessions of HBOT to treat his conditions.
The FDA has approved HBOT for treating severe anemia, burns, carbon monoxide poisoning and decompression sickness, when someone surfaces from under water too quickly, among other conditions.
A session at the center costs about $195 on average, a 2018 article reported, with each lasting a little over an hour.
Thomas died within moments after the hyperbaric chamber caught fire on January 31.
Attorney General Dana Nessel said previously: ‘A single spark it appears ignited into a fully involved fire that claimed Thomas’s life within seconds.’
Ms Nessel said at a news conference that an investigation by the Troy Police Department had found the Oxford Center and its decision makers allegedly had ‘held safety among their lowest considerations’ when it came to using the hyperbaric chamber.
Thomas Cooper died after the hyperbaric chamber he was inside caught fire
The boy’s mother Annie also suffered severe burns after she tried to grab her son from the flames
At a press conference, the attorney general also accused Peterson of failing to cooperate with the investigation, saying she had wiped her laptop and lied to investigators to prevent them from accessing footage of the incident.
He also said she allegedly snatched her phone from detectives, run away from them and threatened other witnesses.
He added: ‘Judge, I would note there are witnesses in this case who have indicated that this defendant has bullied, threatened, harassed, humiliated and filed lawsuits against people who, for lack of a better phrase, stand in the way of whatever it is she wants to do.’
Defense attorney Gerard Gleeson denied his client had been preparing to flee, saying Peterson turned over her passport pre-emptively.
Gleeson also said Peterson had a Chinese visa because she visited the country for her son’s wedding in August 2024, well before the incident.
Peterson has also been accused of obstructing the investigation by wiping her laptop and lying to investigators; she denies the allegations
She also allegedly snatched her phone from detectives and threatened others who were co-operating with the investigation; she denies the allegations
He also denied that she had interfered with the investigation by harassing any witnesses.
Yesterday, the police also arrested facility manager Gary Marken, 65, and safety manager Gary Mosteller, 64, who were both charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter.
They, too, pled not guilty.
The operator of the chamber when it exploded, Aleta Moffitt, 60, who has also entered a not guilty plea, was charged with involuntary manslaughter and intentionally placing false medical information on a medical records chart.
