Suburban Detroit man charged with abuse after 400-pound wife is removed from apartment, dies

WARREN, Mich. – The husband of a 400-pound Detroit-area woman has been charged with abuse after her recent death.

Authorities are accusing Michael Brooks of ignoring Yolanda Reese-Brooks and allowing her to fester in a bed surrounded by her own waste. The 40-year-old Warren woman died of morbid obesity and other injuries last week.

The prosecutor's office says Brooks was his wife's primary caretaker after she sustained a crushed pelvis and ruptured bladder in a 2011 auto wreck. She was extracted from their apartment by an emergency crew wearing protective gear.

Brooks is charged with second-degree abuse of a vulnerable adult. Prosecutor Eric Smith says Brooks' conduct was "shameful." Reese-Brooks' four children now are living with a relative.

It's unknown if Brooks has a lawyer. He doesn't have a listed phone number.