5 Young Illinois Siblings Died During House Fire, and Mom Who Allegedly Left Them There Is Charged

An Illinois mother whose five children died in an early morning fire while she allegedly was out has been charged in connection with those deaths.

On Wednesday the St. Clair County State Attorney’s Office charged Sabrina with five counts of endangering the life or health of a child.

The victims were identified as Deontae Davis, age 9; twins Heaven and Nevaeh Dunigan, age 8; Jabari Johnson, age 4; and Loy-el Dunigan, age 2, reports theSt. Louis Post-Dispatch.

A cause for the fire has not been revealed.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

The tragedy unfolded on Sabrina’s birthday, with a family friend, Arthur Robinson, due to show up that morning with balloons, a table and chairs to help celebrate.

“I fell to my knees and almost passed out when I heard they were gone,“he told thePost-Dispatch.

He described Sabrina as “a great mother, a responsible mother.”

“The fire was already too bad in the part where the children slept” for Greg and Vanicia to attempt a rescue of the siblings, said Vanicia’s sister, Shontice Mosley, according to the newspaper.

After the felony charges were filed Wednesday, Greg said of his daughter: “Why are they trying to do this to her? She done lost all she can lose already. Why they want to take the rest away, meaning herself? She don’t have nothing left,” reports thePost-Dispatch.

He said his daughter did not have an attorney, and online court records did not indicate whether she had been arrested or booked into the St. Clair County jail with a bond set.

source: people.com