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"It's been 91 days since three children died in a West Allis house fire, and there's still no explanation from child protection officials about why they were still in their mother's custody.As WISN 12 News investigative reporter Colleen Henry reports, the children's relatives said the state owes them an explanation.Their aunts, Leah and Maria, remember brave children who flourished in spite of the challenges in their home: 5-year-old Nayeli and twins Alex and Adrian, who were 4 years old.\"You could sense that closeness. It was just a bond that's very difficult to describe,\"Leah said.The children died in April together, huddled under a dresser as fire swallowed their West Allis home. Police said their mother, Angelica Belen, bolted them into a bedroom when she left for work so the neighbors wouldn't know they were home alone.Prosecutors said it wasn't the first time Belen had neglected her children.\"How often does this happen where there's a death involved? Where Child Protective Services didn't do anything? Where Child Protective Services knew what was going on in the home and did nothing, and that nothing is what needs to change,\" Leah said.Belen's sisters, Maria and Leah, asked WISN 12 News not to use their last names but said their sister was defensive when family questioned her child care. They repeatedly asked Child Protective Services to step in.WISN 12 News obtained records that show the state was involved shortly after the birth of Belen's first child, and included criminal charges for leaving her children alone twice, just weeks before their deaths.By law, the state has 90 days to release the family's case history. The deadline passed Wednesday.The sisters are still waiting. They want to know who let Belen keep her kids and why.\"This isn't the first time this has happened to us or our family,\" Leah said.When they were kids in 1992, prosecutors charged their mother in the death of their baby sister, Marisol. The 18-month-old weighed just 10 pounds.\"It was actually a week after Child Protective Services had visited our home and knew that there was abuse happening in the home but did nothing and a week later our sister paid the ultimate price and passed away,\" Leah said.Now, they mourn their sister's children, as history repeats itself. They find some comfort in the memories.\"I don't mind the reminders because it was great to be their aunt,\" Maria said.Belen's sisters must continue to wait for the state's report. The Department of Children and Families said it's finished, but prosecutors must decide whether releasing it will interfere with the criminal case against Angelica Belen.WISN 12 News will continue to press for the report.The mother's trial is scheduled for next month."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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