Officials Say Man Killed Wife And 6 Kids, Then Himself, Before All Were Found In Michigan Home Fire

A man fatally changeable his woman and their six children, past himself, earlier they each were recovered successful their burning Michigan location past week, investigators said Monday.

Kristopher and Amanda Karolkiewicz and their six children, aged 5 to 15, died Friday successful their location successful Grand Haven Township, connected nan eastbound statement of Lake Michigan. Authorities were summoned for a occurrence and past discovered nan bodies.

The Ottawa County Sheriff’s Department said successful a merchandise Monday that autopsies wished each nan family members died of gunshot wounds, and that Kristopher Karolkiewicz took his ain life.

“The investigation shows that this was a murder-suicide,” Capt. Jacob Sparks wrote.

The occurrence appears to person been group intentionally successful aggregate parts of nan location aft nan killings, but officials still are investigating nan root point, Sparks said.

Kris Karolkiewicz was 47; his wife, who went by Mandy, was 39. The mates met astatine activity astatine a beverage institution successful 2008 and began making love that summer, according to a parenting-oriented blog that Mandy Karolkiewicz kept complete a decade ago.

Their first kid was calved connected April 25, 2011, which she hailed arsenic “the champion time of my life (so far).”

Two much sons followed complete nan adjacent 4 years, arsenic she shifted from a banking occupation to a part-time position astatine a section security agency and later stopped moving extracurricular nan home. The mates was readying to adopt much children astatine nan time.

The blog often expressed her Christian faith, her joyousness successful nan family and her emotion and appreciation for her hubby and his parenting.

“My kids person that existent illustration of a selfless, Christ-like father,” she wrote successful 2015.

Kris Karolkiewicz, too, hailed their life together: “I’m a very fortunate guy,” he wrote successful a 2019 Facebook station up of their 10th anniversary.

Recently, Mandy Karolkiewicz was a substitute coach astatine an simple school, earning praise for going “above and beyond for students, particularly erstwhile they’re having a difficult day, responding pinch empathy, patience, and care,” arsenic nan section schoolhouse territory put it successful a Facebook station successful January.

Although her blog ended successful 2016, Mandy Karolkiewicz continued sharing updates connected her family and activities successful TikTok videos, including clips of a travel to China earlier this period pinch 2 of her children.

Peltz and Collins constitute for nan Associated Press. Peltz reported from New York and Collins from Hartford, Conn.