Joshua Kannin, a resident of
Wisconsin, was charged this Tuesday with
child neglect following the death of his three children —
Rylee (ten years old),
Connor (nine) and
Alena (seven)— in a fire that occurred on
November 27, 2025, in his home in
Kenosha, according to the local channel
TMJ4.
The father,
39 years old, was the only adult who managed to get out of the apartment during the fire, while the children were trapped inside.
The tragedy occurred in the early hours of the morning when emergency services received multiple calls alerting them to a large fire in a residential building in
Kenosha.
Upon arrival, firefighters found the apartment completely engulfed in flames and a dense column of smoke impeding visibility.
Rescue teams located
Joshua Kannin in his underwear and begging for help, while the three minors were found with no vital signs inside the house.
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Alena, the youngest daughter, was taken alive to the hospital with burns on 80% of her body, but the doctors could not save her and died shortly after, reported the local channel TMJ4.
According to the criminal complaint,
Kannin told Kenosha police that before going to sleep he had smoked a cigarette inside the apartment.
Later, he was awakened by his cat’s barking or the smell of smoke and detected a “small fire on the kitchen floor.” The man admitted that, upon seeing the flames, he panicked and went out the front door.
He only tried to go back once, but was forced to retreat due to the intensity of the smoke and fire. “I barely took two steps and had to turn around. When I opened the door, I made everything worse,” he told the officers. According to the report, after failing in his rescue attempt, Kannin shouted for help from the neighbors.
The investigation determined that
there were no working smoke detectors in the apartment. Kannin admitted to the authorities that he had deactivated the alarm because it “started to fail or make annoying noises” and explained that the device was activating randomly, which led him to remove it temporarily.
Firefighters emphasized that
the absence of this alert system was a critical factor that hindered evacuation and increased the risk to occupants.
The mother of the minors,
Jourdan Feasby, stated in declarations to the local affiliate of the American channel
CBS News that she had repeatedly warned about the lack of smoke detectors to both the ex-partner, as well as his mother —who performed weekly cleaning tasks in the house— and the owner of the property.
Feasby maintained that the apartment was an environment in which “everyone had to fend for themselves” and expressed his outrage at the lack of responses prior to the tragedy. “I am fighting for serious consequences,” he stated.
According to the investigators’ report, the fire was declared accidental and there were no signs of intentionally placed flammable materials or malicious manipulation.
Authorities confirmed that the most likely cause was a carelessly extinguished cigarette, coupled with the absence of an early detection system that could alert the occupants while they slept.
Wisconsin law requires all dwellings to have functional smoke detectors, a shared responsibility between landlords and tenants, and Kenosha police indicated that failure to comply with this rule can lead to criminal charges if serious injuries or deaths result, as happened in this case.
The next court hearing for
Joshua Kannin was set for
May 14. The defendant faces charges of child neglect which, if confirmed, could lead to a prison sentence.
Local authorities have initiated a regulatory review of compliance with safety regulations in similar residences and have urged the community to verify the operation of alarm devices in their homes.
Prior Warnings and the Mother’s Report
The mother of the minors, Jourdan Feasby, warned about the absence of smoke detectors to family members and the property owner on repeated occasions (Gofundme)
Jourdan Feasby, the victims’ mother, stated that she had informed several people about the risk situation in the house. In her statements, she detailed that she warned about the lack of smoke detectors to both the children’s father and his mother, who was frequently in the apartment, and to the owner of the property.
Feasby emphasized that the environment was “totally self-managed”, which, according to his testimony, aggravated the vulnerability of the minors. In addition, he demanded the need for exemplary sanctions after the death of his children.
Legal Context and Community Impact
The tragedy has led to community campaigns to raise awareness about fire prevention and the importance of maintaining alarm systems in homes (Gofundme)
The tragedy has sparked a debate in
Kenosha about the responsibility for maintaining functional alert systems in rental properties and oversight by local authorities.
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According to the
Kenosha Fire Department,
the absence of smoke detectors remains one of the main causes of mortality in house fires. The local prosecutor’s office reminded that state law establishes severe penalties for those who fail to install and maintain these devices.
In the coming weeks, the prosecution is expected to present additional evidence regarding the conditions of the apartment and the chain of responsibility surrounding compliance with safety regulations.
Community organizations have launched awareness campaigns about the importance of alarm systems and fire prevention in family homes.
The case of
Joshua Kannin continues under judicial investigation, while the community of
Kenosha mourns the loss of three minors and demands greater controls in residential security.
