New investigative details have emerged in the Michigan family tragedy that left eight members of the Karolkiewicz family ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, with authorities now believing the mother may have died before her six children.

According to death certificates obtained by local media, Kristopher Karolkiewicz, 47, Amanda “Mandy” Karolkiewicz, 39, and their six children—Keegan (15), Bennett (12), Smith (11), Ella (11), Caroline (11), and Theodore (5)—were all found inside their Grand Haven home after the incident in late July.

Authorities previously announced that investigators determined the six children and Amanda were victims of homicide, while Kristopher died by suicide.

Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Jacob Sparks told local media that evidence and autopsy findings suggest Amanda “likely died earlier than the children,” although investigators have not yet established an exact sequence of events.

Amanda’s death certificate reportedly lists her date of death as “on or after July 23,” while noting an injury date of July 24. The remaining family members’ death certificates list July 24 as their date of death.

Officials said the exact times of death remain unknown, but the documents indicate each person died immediately or within seconds of suffering fatal injuries.

Investigators found the victims in different bedrooms throughout the family’s Grand Haven residence.

Authorities also said the home was intentionally set on fire after the deaths. Several family pets, including three dogs and one cat, also died in the blaze.

Amanda Karolkiewicz was remembered by many as a dedicated subsтιтute teacher and the author of the 2022 children’s book “The Magical Mantra: A Tiny Book About Self Talk,” which she dedicated to her six children, including two whom the family had adopted.

Following the tragedy, local media reported that a Reddit account believed to belong to Amanda contained posts describing marital difficulties and alleging that her husband had been involved in an affair.

In one post published in 2024, the account described meeting her future husband while working as an intern and later claimed he had become involved with another intern years into their marriage.

However, family spokesperson Emily Jones urged caution, saying the family has no way to confirm that Amanda was the author of the Reddit posts.

The Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation remains ongoing as detectives continue working to establish a complete timeline of the events.

Source: New York Post