As the Ottawa County officials released grisly details about a man who fatally shot his wife and six children, set their home on fire and killed himself Friday, relatives of the victims said Monday they were turning to prayer in the wake of the tragedy.
Medical examiners ruled the death of 47-year-old Kristopher Karolkiewicz a suicide, while the deaths of his wife Amanda Karolkiewicz, 39, and their six children were ruled homicides. All eight died of gunshot wounds, the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office said in a Monday release.
The children ranged in age from five to 15. The sheriff’s office didn’t identify the children, but relatives have confirmed they were Keegan, Bennett, Caroline, Ella, Smith and Teddy. Social media posts show that Mandy Karolkiewicz and two of her daughters had just returned in mid-July from a trip to China.
Mandy Karolkiewicz was a dedicated teacher, her parents said in a statement on Monday.
“Our daughter Mandy was a kind and devoted soul who loved her family and her students,” the statement said. “We treasured every moment we had with her and her six children, and words cannot adequately express our devastation.”
“We pray for God’s peace and comfort as we grieve their deaths and honor their lives.”
What happened?
First responders went into the family’s smoke-filled home Friday morning on the 14900 block of Riverside Trail in Grand Haven Township and found the victims all dead, said Capt. Jake Sparks with the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office.
The victims were killed with a handgun, and authorities believe the shootings may have started Thursday evening, said Capt. Jake Sparks with the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities have yet to pinpoint a motive.
“We’re trying to get answers about what happened leading up to the incident,” said Sparks, who said the sheriff’s office continues to investigate. “…We believe this incident could’ve started the night before and then carried over into the early morning hours. There were reports of the smell of smoke early in the morning.”
OCSO wrote no suspects remain outstanding, and referred to the case as a murder-suicide. Forensic autopsies were completed at Corewell Health-Blodgett Hospital.
While investigators are working to determine the fire’s origin, police believe it was arson.
Sparks said there were various different spots lit throughout the family’s house, including on the first floor and basement. He said the basement floor was more heavily damaged than the main floor.
No note was left, “but there was a lot of documentation that was siezed from the scene and we’re going to go through,” Sparks said. “Processing that will take awhile to go through.”
Sister: ‘We know what happened’
The sister of one of the victims on Sunday urged the public not to accept “theories” and suggested loved ones “know what happened.”
Prior to the sheriff’s office release Monday, in a lengthy post on Facebook, Molly Cessna asked the public not to “feed the theories, don’t share the theories, don’t give them views.”
“Speculation is toxic, and anyone commenting theories about what might have happened is so painful — especially regarding the babies,” Cessna wrote in a Facebook post Friday. “Keep the babies names out of this. Oh, our babies.”
In her post, Cessna criticized the media as “awful” and referenced theories she said were being propagated, although she didn’t mention specific stories.
“Please don’t take any theories you read in these articles as truth,” she wrote. “Please scroll past the random stories when they pop up… We know what happened, and you will too.
“Anyone with a shred of integrity, love or respect for my sisters family won’t share those details until the investigation allows,” Cessna wrote.
In her post, Cessna also praised her family and the “hundreds of caring strangers connected to my sister and her family and otherwise that are reaching out. The support has been overwhelmingly loving in the most mind-blowing way. I just haven’t had the capacity to respond to literally hundreds of you; please know how dear your outpouring is.”
Who was Karolkiewicz family?
Mandy Karolkiewicz was a substitute teacher in Grand Haven Area Public Schools. In January, she was recognized for her service to the district as a “premier” substitute at Peach Plains.
While the school district did not verify her employment, officials sent out a release Monday calling the deaths “a devastating incident and tragic loss for our community.”
“Our hearts are with all those impacted, and we know many throughout our community may be grieving and struggling to process this news,” said Superintendent Kristin Perkowski in a letter to families.
The lives of the family, meanwhile, are dotted across social media. A video posted on YouTube by Ella shows her teaching her younger siblings how to play basketball. According to her TikTok profile, Amanda had recently traveled to Hangzhou, China, with daughters Ella and Caroline. And she frequently shared posts about traveling with her family, cooking, decorating and more.
A TikTok post by Mandy Karolkiewicz from April shows the family frolicking on the beach in April with a carousel of photos from Captiva Island, Florida.
A final TikTok from July 17 is from Mandy and her daughters’ travels back to Michigan from China.
“We are so ready to be home sweet home!” her post reads.
Rosary planned
Grand Haven’s St. Patrick’s Parish, meanwhile, said in a Facebook post the church planed a Rosary prayer at the parish at 5:30 p.m. Monday.
“Over the past few days, our Grand Haven community has been deeply affected by the tragic loss of the Karolkiewicz family,” the post said. “We continue to pray for the repose of their souls and for their family and friends who grieve … all are welcome as we come together in prayer for our community.”
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Ottawa Co. man killed wife, six kids before taking his own life in Grand Haven Township: police
Reporting by George Hunter, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By George Hunter, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
