Warren Man Pleads Guilty In Death Of Obese, Bedridden Wife

WARREN (WWJ) A 37-year-old Warren man who neglected his 400-pound wife, which led to her death, has plead guilty to spousal abuse. Michael Brooks will be sentenced in March, but is seeking a mental health jail diversion program.

His wife, Yolanda Reese-Brooks, 40, was found in her apartment late last year covered in her own waste and in poor health. AHazmat team removed her from the home, and she later died at the hospital.

Police say the apartment had no beds or food for the four children in the house, including twin toddlers, and said he let his disabled wife fester in bed surrounded by her own waste.

Wearing protective gear, emergency crews had to knock down a wall to extract Reese-Brooks from her 12 Mile Road apartment. The 40-year-old Warren woman died of morbid obesity and other injuries last month.

Brooks was first charged with second-degree abuse of a vulnerable adult. Prosecutor Eric Smith said Brooks' conduct was "shameful."

Authorities had initially reported Reese-Brooks' weight at 500 pounds, but that turned out to be an over-estimation.