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A shooting and house fire in Grand Haven Township, Michigan that left a married couple and their six children dead has been confirmed by the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office as a murder-suicide.Amanda Karolkiewicz, 39, and all six of the children died by gunshot wounds forensic autopsies concluded, said Sheriff's Office Capt. Jake Sparks. Fires were started throughout the home after the deaths, Sparks said during a news briefing on July 27, 2026.The death of Kris Karolkiewicz, 49, was ruled a suicide, and a licensed handgun was found at the scene, Sparks said.Authorities did not release the names of the children, but confirmed the couple's four sons were ages 15, 12, 11 and 5, and the two daughters were both 11."This is an unspeakable tragedy that we may never completely understand why it happened," Sparks said, but the investigation continues to try to determine what happened leading up to the killings. Investigators think the incident may have started the night or day before, then carried over into the early morning hours.Firefighters responding to the home on the morning of July 25 found heavy smoke, then the deceased family members, Sparks said. The Sheriff’s Office did not have a record of previous calls to the home.The family members were found throughout the home, most of them in various bedrooms, Sparks said. Several family pets also perished from the fire or smoke inhalation, including dogs and a cat.No specific suicide note was found, but Sparks said investigators seized "a lot of documentation" from the home. The source and cause of the fires remains under investigation, but it's believed the fires were intentionally set on the first floor and in the basement, where damage was the worst.The couple bought the home in June 2019 for $498,900, according to Ottawa County Property records, and just obtained a permit for a new roof in June 2026, according to township records.Loved ones identified the family on social media on Saturday, including a Facebook post by Amanda's stepfather Steve Lawwill, tagging her mother, Becky Lawwill."So grateful for the joy they brought into our life," he wrote, posting a photo of him and his wife with the Karolkiewicz family. "We are just so shattered."Lawwill told The Sentinel in Holland, Michigan, part of the USA TODAY Network, that they were awaiting further details from Ottawa County officials.Kris Karolkiewicz had been a national vice president of sales and marketing with the American Heart Association, according to a 2024 training conference program and Rocket Reach.Amanda was a substitute teacher at Grand Haven Area Public Schools, and she was praised by the district on social media in January for her work at Peach Plains Elementary School."Mandy goes above and beyond for students, especially when they’re having a hard day, responding with empathy, patience and care," the post read. "She pours her heart into her work, is always willing to help wherever needed."An assortment of social media accounts documents the lives of the Karolkiewicz family, including trips to Quebec, Florida and a recent trip Amanda and her daughters took to China.In 2023, the family also had four dogs, a cat and a turtle, according to an author biography published with the children's book "The Magical Mantra: A Tiny Book about Self-Talk,""Her passions include special needs and trauma-informed advocacy, mindfulness, reading, dining out, traveling, and exploring the Lake Michigan shoreline," the biography reads."Her days are loud and busy but everything she could hope for. After spending years caretaking for others, she finally found herself returning to her childhood passion of writing. Mandy learned of her inherent goodness too late in life and now writes for children, herself, and inner children everywhere."Dinah Voyles Pulver is a national correspondent for USA TODAY. Cassidey Kavathas is a reporter for The Holland Sentinel, a USA TODAY Network publication.
