Three Victims Identified In Tragic Troy House Fire Explosion

TROY, IL. - The Madison County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday, April 9, 2026, released the names of three victims killed in a house fire that followed multiple explosions in rural Troy, Illinois, on April 5.

The victims were identified as Madeleine I. Maxeiner, 18, of Troy; Ayden R. Hendrickson, 19, of Collinsville; and Paisley Nishwitz, 12, of Troy, the sheriff’s office said.

Maxeiner was positively identified through dental examination. She was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:10 p.m. April 6, 2026, by Madison County Coroner Investigator Samuel Stone, according to the sheriff’s office.

Hendrickson was also positively identified through dental records. He was pronounced dead at 1:15 a.m. April 6, 2026, by Stone, the sheriff’s office said.

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Nishwitz was identified through DNA. She was pronounced dead at 2:03 a.m. April 6, 2026, by Stone, according to the sheriff’s office.

Autopsies were conducted on all three victims, and the preliminary cause of death for each was smoke inhalation, the sheriff’s office said. A final cause of death will be issued after toxicological testing is completed.

The sheriff’s office said the initial explosion was labeled as being due to the mishandling of commercial-grade energetic material. Investigators said the initial investigation found that multiple explosions resulted in the house fire and the deaths.

The scene was investigated by Madison County sheriff’s detectives, along with the Secretary of State Bomb Squad, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Madison County Coroner’s Office, the sheriff’s office said. Troy police officers responded to assist after the initial call, and the Troy Fire Protection District provided assistance throughout the scene investigation.

The case will remain open, and state and/or federal criminal charges are pending further investigation, the sheriff’s office said.

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