A Michigan father killed his wife and six children in a murder-suicide before setting fire to the family’s home, a blaze that also claimed the lives of their pets, investigators said.
Authorities identified the gunman as 47-year-old Kristopher Karolkiewicz, who they say fatally shot his wife, Amanda, 39, and their six children, ages five to 15, inside the family’s home in Grand Haven Township, Michigan.
After the shootings, Kristopher allegedly ignited multiple fires inside the $750,000 property before killing himself, in what officials have classified as a murder-suicide.
Deputies with the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office also found at least three dogs and one cat dead inside the burned home, TMZ reported.
Officials said the animals died from smoke inhalation or other fire-related injuries, and investigators believe more pets may have perished in the blaze.
Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office Captain Jake Sparks told the outlet that Amanda and Kristopher were found in their bedroom, while the children were discovered in their own bedrooms.
Sparks said Kristopher used a semi-automatic handgun in the attack, firing at least eight rounds before setting the house on fire and taking his own life.
Investigators are now reviewing neighborhood surveillance footage and interviewing witnesses as they work to piece together the family’s final hours and determine what led to the deadly violence, Sparks said.
Kristopher Karolkiewicz, 47, shot and killed his wife Amanda, 39, and their six children
Four of the six children were Kristopher’s biological children. The other two were adopted by the couple
Sparks added investigators are combing the neighborhood for video and talking to witnesses, family and friends to piece together a timeline and drill down on a motive.
Amanda and her children’s deaths have been ruled homicides, and Kristopher’s has been ruled a suicide.
It remains unclear how exactly the blazes began, and Michigan State Police arson investigators are looking into the case.
Four of the six children were Kristopher’s biological children. The other two were adopted by the couple.
Kristopher lost his job weeks before the bloodbath. He was let go from his role as Vice President of sales and marketing with the American Heart Association earlier this month, a statement said.
No further details on his dismissal were shared.
In a statement to the Daily Mail, the American Heart Association said Kristopher worked for the organization from September of 2023 until earlier this month.
It added: ‘We are devastated by the news out of Michigan, and our thoughts are with the loved ones of those who lost their lives in this tragedy.’
911 dispatch audio has also since been uncovered detailing how fire crews were called to white smoke billowing out of the property.
‘We’re given a 10-7 for a residential fire at 14936 Riverside Trail. White smoke coming out of the window,’ a fire dispatcher said.
‘Full of smoke seen from the outside and smells electrical,’ the dispatcher continued before a crew responded 40 seconds later confirming they were on their way.
Karolkiewicz is pictured here with his wife Amanda, their kids, and Amanda’s parents, Steve and Becky Lawwill
None of the children has been named, but four of them were boys, aged 15, 12, 11, and five. Their daughters were 11 years old, police said
Amanda and her children’s deaths have been ruled a homicide, and Kristopher’s has been ruled a suicide
The family of eight was found dead inside their $750,000 home in Grand Haven Township, Michigan
It emerged earlier that Kristopher had cheated on his wife six years ago with an intern at his former job, who Amanda described as ‘younger’ and ‘wilder.’
She forced him to switch jobs in the aftermath of the affair but struggled with the pain of it.
Amanda detailed the affair in a series of Reddit posts unearthed by the Daily Mail in which she spoke about the unexpected birth of their youngest son two years ago.
Their youngest was born amid the couple’s apparent battle to strengthen their marriage, which Amanda claimed was destroyed by Kristopher’s infidelity.
The couple, who were wed in 2009, met while Amanda was interning at the company where Kristopher worked, her posts revealed.
The affair, which appears to have occurred more than six years ago, took place while Amanda was child-rearing.
‘I was five babies in, and was actually not in bad physical shape, but I was in the trenches of little kids, and just couldn’t be who I was before,’ she said.
She felt so belittled by the affair that she spent Kristopher’s work bonus on Botox, Invisalign, hair extensions and new clothes in a bid to make herself feel ‘pretty.’
Kristopher was no stranger to cosmetic procedures himself, with Amanda revealing that he’d had an eye lift, known as an upper blepharoplasty, in one Reddit post.
Amanda said she ‘lost tons of weight during the aftermath,’ but despite her physical glow-up, she ‘never felt better’ and ‘internally blamed’ herself for not being ‘enough.’
