Amanda “Mandy” Karolkiewicz and Kristopher Karolkiewicz‘s home was “full of smoke” after he killed her and their six children in an apparent murder-suicide, according to a 911 dispatch call from the incident.
Police said that they believe Kristopher, 47, fatally shot Mandy, 39, and their six kids before he set their home in Grand Haven Township, Michigan, on fire before he died by suicide on the morning of Friday, July 24.
“White smoke coming out of the window, house is full of smoke seen from the outside and smells electrical,” a woman was heard saying in 911 audio obtained by Fox News.
The outlet also reported that Mandy had returned to Michigan from a trip to China with their two adopted girls just days before the family was killed.
She had taken to social media to document the trip and shared photos of the girls posing in traditional Chinese hanfu as they each held a decorative fan against a painted floral backdrop.
While Mandy said the trip was the “funniest and coolest” experience of her life, she said in her final TikTok uploaded on July 17 that she and her daughters were “so ready to be home sweet home!”
Police have not shared if they believe Kristopher had a motive for the murder-suicide, but resurfaced posts from Mandy’s Reddit page revealed the couple dealt with several issues.
In fact, she claimed in a 2024 post that Kristopher had previously cheated on her with an intern.
“He was divorced and older than me … fast forward ten years and five kids, he was cheating with the intern again — the same age I was when I was the intern,” she wrote.
Mandy continued to explain how the affair impacted her. “After about a year of self-loathing, I remember crying and looking at myself in the mirror and realizing how [expletive] it was that I was the one who was living so miserably because of what he did. I finally realized that I had been the only person who has ever showed up for myself my whole entire life,” she wrote.
She then said that she only chose to stay in the marriage because of their six kids.
“I kept telling myself, ‘I love my kids more than I hate my husband right now.’ They have no idea — I faked it ’till we made it. We’re in a much better place 4.5 years out, but it’s still a fight to stay in a healthy place,” Mandy wrote.
In a subreddit titled “As One After Infidelity,” Mandy opened up about the red flags she ignored in their marriage.
“We have six kids, so the idea of leaving is insanely terrifying,” she wrote. “He’s always had major red flags that I ignored due to my own trauma and anxious attachment. He was raised in a toxic family dynamic that encouraged lying about everything.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
