A heartbreaking murder-suicide in Michigan has taken an even more disturbing turn. Newly released details suggest the mother of six may have died before her children, according to authorities, leaving investigators to piece together a tragic timeline inside a home that became a crime scene.
The Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office said evidence and autopsy results indicate 39-year-old Amanda “Mandy” Karolkiewicz likely died earlier than her six kids, according to WLNS.
The family was found dead inside their Grand Haven home, including 47-year-old Kristopher Karolkiewicz and the couple’s children, ages 5 to 15.
Autopsies reportedly showed that Amanda and the children were killed by gunshot wounds, while Kristopher died by suicide.
Officials also said the father set the home on fire after the shootings, and the blaze killed at least three dogs and a cat.
Death certificates obtained by WLNS revealed that all eight family members were shot in the head.
The documents also reportedly list Amanda’s date of injury as July 24, but note that she died “on or after” July 23.
Her six children — Keegan, 15, Bennett, 12, Smith, 11, Ella, 11, Caroline, 11, and Theodore, 5 — along with Kristopher are listed as dying on July 24, according to the certificates.
Their exact times of death remain unknown, officials said.
“We don’t have an exact timeline yet and are still working to establish that,” Capt. Jacob Sparks of the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office told WLNS.
Authorities said the bodies were found in different rooms throughout the home, leaving investigators to reconstruct what happened in the family’s final hours.
As the investigation continues, one question still lingers: how did such a devastating sequence of events unfold?
