The Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office in Michigan has declared the deaths of a married couple and their six children a murder-suicide. It was ruled that Amanda Karolkiewicz, 39, and the six children between the ages of 5 and 15 were shot before the house was set on fire.
Authorities ruled the death of Kris Karolkiewicz, 49, a suicide, with his licensed firearm retrieved from the crime scene. The Sheriff’s office also confirmed that the fires in the house were started after the death of Amanda and the children. Among the deceased were also pets that the family owned.
Why is there so many stories of the husbands taking out both the wife and the children along with himself?? If he’s going to do something so selfish he should at least leave everyone else out of it. What a horrible person
— Mola (@Molaau6) July 28, 2026
The incident took place in Grand Haven Township, Michigan, on July 25, when firefighters responded to the home with heavy smoke and then the deceased family members.
Fires in the house were intentionally set on the first floor and the basement, according to USA Today. All family members were found in different bedrooms. Several pets also died from the fire or smoke inhalation. The Sheriff’s Office found no prior call record to the house or a suicide note.
While the cause and source of the fires remain under investigation, it is speculated that the murder-suicide was motivated by Kris’s dismissal from the American Heart Association, where he served as the organization’s vice president of sales and marketing until weeks before the incident took place. According to various accounts on social media, he was let go on July 17 because of allegations related to his credentials and education. AHA has not publicly confirmed the exact nature of Kris’s dismissal.
Kiled entire family then himself, settings house on fire so no evidence left… How convenient
— Illian El-Tano (@ElShilion) July 28, 2026
Further issues that plagued the Karolkiewicz family included a Reddit account that was connected to Amanda, which posted frequently on infidelity support subreddits. According to the posts, Kris allegedly was cheating on Amanda with his intern, in what she described as an “emotional affair”. The post also described what seemed to be a long reconciliation process. The couple was also considering marriage counseling, given that separating from six children was not an option for Amanda.
According to her TikTok post, Amanda and her daughters were in China on July 17, returning to the United States the following day, as reported by Detroit News.
Sheriff’s Office Capt. Jake Sparks said investigators have seized “a lot of documentation”. The consensus was that whatever caused the incident must have begun the day prior or in the early hours of July 25, 2026.
Disclaimer: Inquisitr could not independently confirm the facts of this incident and is reporting based on the information available.
