Charges filed in Troy home explosion that killed three young people
Three people have been charged in connection with an Easter Sunday home explosion and fire that killed three young people in rural Troy, the Madison County Sheriff’s Office announced Saturday.
Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine charged Colton Cissell, 22, with possession of explosives or explosive or incendiary devices, possession of explosive material without a license, three counts of involuntary manslaughter, and endangering the life of a child.
Cissell’s father, Kenneth Cissell, 48, and stepmother, Roberta Cissell, 43, also were charged with endangering the life of a child.
Attorneys for the Cissells have not been identified in Madison County Circuit Court records.
The explosion occurred at 8004 W. Kirsch Road, the home the Cissell family rented. Law enforcement responded to the blast at 11:14 p.m. Sunday, April 5, court documents show.
The three people who died in the fire were Madeleine I. Maxeiner, 18, of Troy; Ayden R. Hendrickson, 19, of Collinsville; and Paisley Nishwitz, 12, of Troy.
Maxeiner was Roberta Cissell’s daughter.
Colton Cissell was assigned short-term guardianship of Paisley, according to a statement that the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services provided to the Troy Times Tribune.
Hendrickson’s parents told KSDK he was staying at the home with his girlfriend and her family.
Kenneth and Roberta Cissell escaped the fire without injury. Colton Cissell was transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
The sheriff’s office previously said the fire had been caused by multiple explosions, and the initial one was “due to the mishandling of commercial-grade energetic material.”
Colton Cissell is accused of manufacturing pyrotechnics at the time, causing the explosion, according to Madison County Assistant State’s Attorney Audrey Paulda’s petition to detain him until his trial.
Charging documents accuse Kenneth and Roberta Cissell of allowing the manufacture of explosive devices in the home.
According to affidavits that accompanied search warrant requests in the investigation, Roberta Cissell told deputies that her stepson made homemade explosive devices with the binary reactive rifle target Tannerite and was in a club that manufactures fireworks.
Investigators searched the badly damaged home, outbuildings, vehicles, Colton Cissell’s cellphone and video, audio and other data from a Blink home security system.
They found containers inside a trailer and shed that had markings indicating energetic materials and precursors to energetic materials. A vehicle registered to Colton Cissell had possible explosive-making materials, such as cardboard tubes. Roughly 50 items were seized.
Haine stated in a news release Saturday that the charges carry possible sentences of up to 30 years in prison for Colton Cissell and up to 10 years in prison for Kenneth and Roberta Cissell.
“This case involves allegations of conduct that created an extreme danger to others and ultimately resulted in tragedy,” Haine stated. “Our office takes those allegations very seriously.”
The sheriff’s office initially announced Saturday that Colton Cissell had been arrested and was being held in the Madison County Jail. It later provided an update, stating that Kenneth and Roberta Cissell were in custody and would be booked and released.
The sheriff’s office led the investigation with assistance from the FBI; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Illinois Secretary of State Bomb Squad; Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Office; Madison County Coroner’s Office; Troy Police Department; Troy Fire Protection District; and other fire departments.
The investigation is ongoing, according to U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft.
“Neither state nor federal authorities will rest until justice is served for these three young victims,” Weinhoeft stated in the news release.
Madeleine Maxeiner’s father, Robert Maxeiner, filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Madison County against Roberta Cissell, Kenneth Cissell, Colton Cissell and the property owner, Dennis Grapperhaus.
It alleges the Cissells kept dangerous explosives at the house without required permits or licenses, stored them improperly and failed to maintain fire precautions, including working smoke detectors.
Grapperhaus was named as a defendant in the civil case because he “knew or should have known” explosives were being stored on his property, and he was responsible for equipping the house with smoke detectors, according to the lawsuit.
BND reporter Lexi Cortes contributed information to this report.
This story was originally published May 30, 2026 at 11:37 AM.
