New details have emerged in the timeline of a Michigan murder-suicide that killed a family of eight, with a death certificate suggesting the mother may have been shot a day before her children died.
Amanda “Mandy” Karolkiewicz, 39, was killed along with her six children by her husband Kristopher Karolkiewicz, 47, who then took his own life. A death certificate obtained by News 8 lists Amanda’s date of death as “on or after” July 23, while her children died on July 24.
Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office Captain Jacob Sparks said it is “likely” Amanda “died earlier than the children.” He told News 8: “We don’t have an exact timeline yet and are still working to establish that.”
Investigators believe Kristopher shot his family inside their Grand Haven Township home on July 24 using a semi-automatic handgun, firing at least eight shots before setting the home ablaze and killing himself. The couple’s bodies were found in their bedroom; the children were found in their respective bedrooms.
The six children were identified as Keegan, 15; Bennet, 12; Smith, Ella, and Caroline, all 11; and Theodore, 5. All eight family members died from gunshot wounds to the head. Amanda and the children’s deaths were ruled homicides; Kristopher’s was ruled a suicide.
Amanda was a substitute teacher at Grand Haven Area Public Schools and had written a children’s book called The Magical Mantra under a pen name. Family spokesperson Emily Jones described the loss in human terms: “They were real people. They were wonderful people. And we want them to be remembered that way.”
Amanda’s father, Gary Anderson, 78, spoke to The Detroit News about the tragedy. “I struggle to understand the why,” he said, adding that he loves his daughter, the six children, and, in his words, still loves Kristopher. Anderson said that for the entire time he knew Kristopher, he was “a good father and a good husband.”
Anderson acknowledged he was “aware of some failures that entered their relationship” but said he had “no idea what happened,” adding that only the couple themselves truly knew what led to the breakdown of their marriage.
A series of Reddit posts believed to have been written by Amanda alleged that Kristopher had an “emotional affair” with an intern at his job, described as a “younger, wilder” version of herself. The posts also described the couple undergoing couples and individual therapy and embracing sobriety. Family spokesperson Emily Jones said loved ones have no way to confirm the account was written by Amanda, but noted: “It’s very clear that whoever wrote that, they were using Reddit as an outlet to seek support in a bit of anonymity.”
A GoFundMe has been set up to help cover funeral costs for the family.
