Sheriff’s office IDs two teens and girl, 12, killed in home explosion near Troy

The Madison County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday released the names of two teenagers and a girl who died in a house explosion near Troy late on Easter night.

Madeleine I. Maxeiner, 18, of Troy; Ayden R. Hendrickson, 19, of Collinsville; and Paisley Nishwitz, 12, of Troy were killed by the blast, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

The preliminary cause of death was smoke inhalation for the three victims.

There were multiple explosions in the house and the initial explosion was “due to the mishandling of commercial-grade energetic material,” according to the sheriff’s department.

“Energetic material” includes “explosives, propellants and pyrotechnics,” according to a report from the Journal of Energetic Materials. Authorities conducted controlled detonations of the material Tuesday and Wednesday.

State and federal charges are pending further investigation, the sheriff’s office said.

One person suffered significant burn injuries and was transported to a St. Louis-area hospital.

The explosion occurred late Sunday in the 8000 block of West Kirsch Road, just west of O’Fallon-Troy Road.

Along with the sheriff’s office and the county coroner, agents from the Illinois State Fire Marshal, the FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are working on the investigation.

When first responders arrived, the home was fully engulfed in flames, according to the Troy Fire Department.

A final cause of death for the three victims will be determined after toxicology tests are completed. Dental records were used to identify Cissell and Hendrickson while DNA was used to identify Paisley.

This story was originally published April 9, 2026 at 5:20 PM.