The mother of three young children killed in a house fire in West Allis earlier this month is now facing three felony counts of child neglect causing death. Prosecutors say 24-year-old Angelica Belen locked three of her children in a bedroom last Thursday before starting her first day of a new job. Investigators say Belen told them she could not find a babysitter.
The four-year-old twin boys and their five-year-old sister later died after an accidental electrical fire started in the kitchen of the home. A fourth child, a one-year-old boy, was away with his father at the time.
Belen is already charged with six misdemeanor child neglect charges that were filed in March, after police say she and another child went into a store while three other kids were left in her car. Prosecutors said the four-year-old twins got out and walked around the parking lot, and another vehicle almost hit them. Officials said Belen’s children were found in need of protective services as of March 28th, but the mother was allowed to keep her kids.