Sheriff: Grand Haven man killed wife, 6 children in murder-suicide

Published July 27, 2026 1:08 PM EDT

Investigators have ruled a murder-suicide in the case of eight family members found dead inside a burning Grand Haven home.

The backstory:

Kristopher Karolkiewicz, the family's father, murdered his wife and six children before setting the home ablaze and killing himself, said the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office.

Kristopher Karolkiewicz, age 47, and his wife, Amanda Karolkiewicz, age 39, were both of Grand Haven.

The six murdered children were boys ages 15, 12, 11, and 5 years old and girls both aged 11. Four of the children were biological and two were adopted. 

The preliminary indications are that the fire was intentionally set in numerous places throughout the interior of the residence, the sheriff's office said.

The family pets also died due to the fire/smoke, according to investigators.  

The cause and origin of the residential fire remains under investigation by Michigan State Police arson investigators.

This incident remains under investigation and anyone with information is asked to contact the Sheriff's Office or Silent Observer at 1-877-88-SILENT (745368) or mosotips.com.

The Source: Information for this report is from the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office.

Crime and Public SafetyAround Michigan