By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-08-01 21:17:12 | Updated at 2026-08-02 23:15:13
1 day ago
New details have emerged surrounding the gruesome deaths of a beautiful Michigan family of eight who died in a murder-suicide.
Amanda 'Mandy' Karolkiewicz, 39, was killed along with her six children by her husband Kristopher Karolkiewicz, 47, who then turned the gun on himself.
Authorities now believe that Amanda was first to be killed according to a death certificate obtained by News 8.
The document lists her date of death as 'on or after' July 23, while the date of death of her children, Keegan, 15; Bennet, 12; Smith, Ella, Caroline, all 11; and Theodore, five was listed as July 24.
It is unclear how much time passed between Amanda's death and the rest of the family.
Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office Captain Jacob Sparks said it is 'likely' Amanda 'died earlier than the children.'
'We don’t have an exact timeline yet and are still working to establish that,' he told News 8.
All the family members died from a gunshot wound to the head. Amanda and the children's deaths were listed as a homicide, while Kristopher was listed as a suicide.
Amanda 'Mandy' Karolkiewicz's death certificate suggests she may have been killed by her husband, Kristopher, a day before he killed their children and himself
The children's death certificates said they died on July 24, while Amanda's said hers was 'on or after' July 23
Amanda was a substitute teacher at Grand Haven Area Public Schools, and she wrote a children's book called The Magical Mantra under a pen name before her death.
Family said she loved being a mother and the kids enjoyed spending time with one another.
'They were real people. They were wonderful people. And we want them to be remembered that way,' Emily Jones, the family's spokesperson, said.
A GoFundMe has been set up for Amanda's family to help cover the cost of their funerals.
Amanda's father, Gary Anderson, has now spoken out about the tragedy, telling The Detroit News: 'I struggle to understand the why.'
'I love my daughter Mandy, and I loved those six children. In a way, I still love Kris,' the 78-year-old told the newspaper.
Anderson said he does not believe that a person's legacy or worth should be measured by the 'worst thing they did on the worst day of their life.'
He said that for the entire time he knew Kristopher, he was a 'good father and a good husband.'
Her and the children's deaths were labels as a homicide, while the father's was suicide
It is unclear what caused him to take his family's lives. Amanda revealed in a series of Reddit posts that Kristopher had an 'emotional affair' with an intern
However, a series of Reddit posts believed to have been penned by Amanda suggested that Kristopher had an 'emotional affair' with an intern at his job described as a 'younger, wilder' version of herself.
Anderson, seemingly hinting at the alleged affair, said he was 'aware of some failures that entered their relationship' but overall has 'no idea what happened.'
He claimed both Kristopher and Amanda had their own individual struggles, and noted that the two of them are the only people who really know what caused the downfall in their marriage.
The Reddit posts detailed that for years after the alleged affair, the author felt distrust and anger in her relationship.
The posts claimed that the pair were in couples and individual therapy, and had embraced sobriety but still seemingly struggled.
They even contained a reference to Amanda violently shoving Kristopher when she discovered he was cheating and how she vengefully forced him to quit his job afterwards.
They also alleged that she had no contact with Anderson and his entire family, including her older sister Molly.
Although the Reddit account features several personal details that match those belonging to Amanda, family spokesperson Emily Jones told 8 News that the couple's loved ones have no way to confirm the validity of the account.
Amanda was a substitute techer who wrote a children's book based on her kids
'It's very clear that whoever wrote that, they were using Reddit as an outlet to seek support in a bit of anonymity, because for whatever reason, they felt they couldn't seek it in their real lives,' Jones said.
'I think that that's sad in and of itself, whether it was Mandy or somebody else. It's sad if somebody feels like they can't speak their fears out loud outside of something like Reddit.'
Investigators believe Kristopher shot and killed his family inside their Grand Haven Township home on July 24.
Ottawa County Sheriff's Office Captain Jake Sparks told TMZ that the couple's bodies were found in their bedroom, while their children's bodies were discovered in their respective bedrooms.
The 47-year-old carried out the attack with a semi-automatic handgun, firing at least eight shots before setting the home ablaze and taking his own life, Captain Sparks said.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office for comment.
