Authorities are investigating the eight deaths after some victims were found with gunshot wounds following a suspicious house fire.
GRAND HAVEN TOWNSHIP, MI — Relatives have identified Amanda “Mandy” Karolkiewicz and her husband, Kristopher Karolkiewicz, as the two adults found dead with six children inside their Grand Haven Township home after a fire Friday.
Amanda Karolkiewicz was 39 and Kristopher Karolkiewicz was 47, according to family accounts reported by news organizations. Their six children ranged in age from 5 to 15. The Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office and county medical examiner had not formally released the victims’ names as of Sunday, and the children had not been publicly identified.
Firefighters discovered the family after emergency crews returned to the Riverside Trail area shortly before noon July 24. Officials said they received calls between about 8:30 and 9 a.m. reporting the smell of smoke but could not immediately locate its source. Crews were called back around 11:40 a.m. after white smoke was seen coming from a home.
Firefighters entered the house while working to control the fire and found two adults and six children dead inside. Investigators later said some of the victims had gunshot wounds, but authorities have not disclosed which family members were shot or released preliminary causes of death.
Capt. Jacob Sparks of the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office described the scene as complicated and said investigators were considering several possible explanations. A murder-suicide was among the theories being examined, but Sparks cautioned that it was too early to determine what happened or how each person died.
Authorities said they were not searching for an outside suspect and believed everyone involved had been found inside the home. That assessment does not establish who caused the deaths, and investigators have not publicly identified a suspected shooter or announced a motive.
The fire also remained under investigation. The Michigan State Police arson unit was assisting local authorities in determining where and how the fire started. Officials described the blaze as suspicious and said investigators would examine whether it had been deliberately set.
Amanda Karolkiewicz worked as a substitute teacher for Grand Haven Area Public Schools. The district had previously recognized her work at Peach Plains Elementary School, where she was praised for supporting students and helping colleagues. Superintendent Kristin Perowski said the district was providing support and mental health resources to the school community following the deaths.
Relatives shared tributes to the family on social media as they awaited additional findings from investigators. Autopsies and forensic testing were expected to help confirm the victims’ identities, determine their causes and manners of death, and clarify the sequence of events inside the home. Authorities had not announced when those findings would be released.
Author note: Last updated July 26, 2026.