Wisconsin mother forced by husband to ‘live her worst nightmare’ as he abandons their 3 children to burn alive

Joshua Kannin, a father in Kenosha, Wisconsin, is facing serious legal consequences after being charged with child neglect in the wake of a tragic fire that claimed the lives of his three young children. The fire, which broke out in the middle of the night on Thanksgiving 2025, resulted in the deaths of his two sons, Rylee, 10, and Connor, 9, as well as his daughter, Alena, 7.

According to The Sun, the fire reportedly started while the two boys were in the kitchen attempting to prepare food, while their father was asleep. Kannin told investigators he had been smoking a cigarette before heading to bed. He claimed he was awakened by some disturbance. Upon waking, he reported seeing a little fire on the kitchen floor. He told police he panicked and immediately walked out the front door, thinking to himself, “I have to get help.”

When emergency responders arrived at the scene, they found the home fully engulfed in flames. Kannin was reportedly outside in his underwear, asking for help. Rylee and Connor were unfortunately discovered on the first floor and were pronounced dead at the scene. Alena was found on the second floor with burns covering 80% of her body, and she later passed away at the hospital.

Most parents immediately think of their kids, and then there is Kannin

The tragedy took a turn when officials searched the apartment and found that there were no working smoke detectors. Jourdan Feasby, the mother of the children, expressed that she had previously raised concerns about the lack of safety equipment. 

She stated, “I was on him about not having the smoke detectors, I let his mother know who cleaned his house once a week that there were no smoke detectors, I let the landlord know there were no smoke detectors.” Feasby described the living conditions in the apartment as disgusting and characterized the environment as a situation where the children were forced to fend for themselves.

Kannin claimed he had removed one alarm because it was malfunctioning and the noise was an annoyance. He also told police that he attempted to return to the home to reach his children but was unable to do so. He stated, “I barely got two steps in and I had to turn back around,” and added, “When I opened the door, I made it worse.”

For Feasby, the charges brought against Kannin feel like a bittersweet step toward justice. She shared that she has been struggling immensely since the loss of her children, stating, “I died with them that day. I’m just a shell here.” 

Feasby added, “I never knew that a pain like this existed. It’s just been pure hell for myself and my family. I’m literally living my worst nightmare.” While she noted that she is nervous about the potential outcome of the legal proceedings, she emphasized that she will not feel true closure until there is a verdict. Kannin is scheduled to appear in court on May 14.

This incident highlights the gravity of child neglect, which is often a passive form of abuse compared to active physical or sexual maltreatment. According to FindLaw, child neglect is the most common form of child maltreatment in the United States, accounting for 76% of cases in 2021. 

Neglect can take many forms, including physical neglect—the failure to provide basic needs like shelter and sanitary living conditions—as well as educational, medical, and psychological neglect. Physical neglect, which can involve a failure to properly supervise a child, is considered a form of domestic violence because children rely on caregivers for their safety. 

In many jurisdictions, laws exist to hold caregivers accountable when they fail to provide a duty of care, protection, or support. This holds especially true when that failure creates a substantial risk to a child’s health or safety.

The loss of these three children is a devastating reminder of the necessity of basic safety measures and the heavy responsibility placed on parents to ensure the well-being of their children. It is also startling that Kannin abandoned his children when, more often than not, you see stories of parents doing whatever they can to protect their children, even in the face of a fire.