Kenosha Father Charged With Child Neglect After Thanksgiving Fire Kills 3 Children

A man was charged with child neglect after three children died in a fire on November 27, 2025, in Kenosha. The charges came five months later. The fire at the man’s apartment left his three children dead.

A 39-year-old man identified as Joshua Kannin was charged with child neglect after his three children died at an apartment fire. Kannin faces three felony counts of child neglect resulting in death.

The fire broke out on November 27, 2025, at around 10:30 p.m. Police and firefighters were called to an apartment near 43rd Avenue and 52nd Street, and officials said the building was “fully engulfed” in fire. According to a criminal complaint, Kannin ran up to the police squad car, which was just arriving on the scene, yelling that his children were still inside the apartment.

Flames could be seen coming out of the windows and doors of the apartment building. Officers determined it was too dangerous to enter.

The three siblings who died in the fire were identified as Rylee Kannin,10, Connor Kannin, 9, and Alena Kannin, 7.

During the investigation, Kannin told authorities that he woke up to smoke in the apartment. He then went downstairs to the kitchen and saw “a little fire on the kitchen floor.” Kannin described it as a “tiny little thing,” then going outside to bang on a neighbor’s door for help. Kannin also said that he screamed and told the children to come downstairs.

“I opened the door, and I heard my kids,” Kannin said. “I tried to go back in, but smoke just came at me, and I couldn’t see. I barely got two steps in, and I had to turn back around,” Kannin said.

According to the criminal complaint, authorities did not find any working smoke alarms in the apartment. Kannin told investigators that he had previously removed one smoke detector because it would go off randomly. The complaint states that he mentioned reinstalling the smoke alarm.

The apartment owner told investigators that each unit is supposed to have one smoke detector on the first floor and another on the second. The property manager said the staff usually conducts checks, but Kannin never allowed the workers into his apartment.

In a news release from the Kenosha Fire Department, officials said “there is no evidence that the father had started the fire by either accident or malicious act.”