24/04/2026
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24/04/2026
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(Left)Joshua Kannin’s kids Connor, Rylee, and Alena died following a house fire during Thanksgiving. (Right) The home with fire damage around a window and front door on the right, with police and caution tape present. Credit - NEW YORK POST
KENOSHA, Apr 23: A Wisconsin father is facing child neglect charges after allegedly leaving his three children to die in a Thanksgiving house fire, authorities said.
Joshua Kannin, 39, was charged Tuesday in connection with the Nov. 27 blaze that killed Rylee, 10; Connor, 9; and 7-year-old Alena at their Kenosha home, according to a criminal complaint obtained by TMJ4, reports New York Post
The children’s mother, Jourdan Feasby, described the tragedy as “pure hell,” saying she is “living her worst nightmare.”
The Fire
Police responded to reports that Kannin’s home was “fully engulfed” in flames. Kannin, wearing only his underwear, ran to officers begging for help, the complaint states.
Alena was discovered on the second floor, while Connor and Rylee were found on the first floor. Both brothers were pronounced dead at the scene. Alena was hospitalized with burns covering 80% of her body and later died.
Kannin, who was also hospitalized, told investigators he had been smoking a cigarette before bed and was awakened during the night, though he wasn’t sure if the noise was from his cat or the smoke.
He said he saw a “little fire on the kitchen floor” before he “panicked and walked out the front door.”
“At that moment, he thought to himself, ‘I have to get help,’” police said.
Kannin told authorities he urged his children to leave the home and attempted to re-enter the building, but “smoke just came at me, and I couldn’t see.”
“I barely got two steps in and I had to turn back around,” he said. “When I opened the door, I made it worse.”
Missing Smoke Detectors
Fire officials reported that no smoke detectors were found in the home. Kannin admitted he had removed one alarm because it “started to malfunction or make sounds,” describing the noise as an “annoyance.”
Feasby said she had repeatedly warned her ex-husband about the missing detectors.
“I was on him about not having the smoke detectors,” she told CBS58. “I let his mother know … I let the landlord know there were no smoke detectors.”
She described Kannin’s apartment as “disgusting” and said life there was “fend for yourself in a sense.”
‘I Died with Them That Day’
While the children’s deaths were ruled accidental, Feasby called the charges “bittersweet” and said she is fighting for justice.
“I died with them that day,” she said. “It’s just been pure hell for myself and my family. I’m literally living my worst nightmare.”
She stressed the need for “serious repercussions” in the case.
Kannin is scheduled to appear in court on May 14.
