Gary Anderson, the father of Amanda Karolkiewicz, said this week that he still struggles to understand why his daughter, six grandchildren and son-in-law were found dead in a Grand Haven Township home fire and shooting. He spoke from his Royal Oak home after law enforcement said the case was a murder-suicide.
Anderson said, “I struggle to understand the why.” He also said, “I love my daughter Mandy, and I loved those six children. In a way, I still love Kris.”
Royal Oak comments from Gary Anderson
Anderson said, “Speculation is what I have a disdain for.” He added, “It's very clear that he did what he did.” Those remarks came as authorities said Kristopher Karolkiewicz, 47 years old, shot and killed the children, ages 5 to 15, and Mandy before starting a fire and shooting himself.
He also said, “I struggle with the fact that, with all the time I knew him, he was a good father and a good husband.” Anderson said, “I was aware of some failures that entered their relationship.” He added, “I have no idea what happened.”
Grand Haven Township home
Mandy Karolkiewicz, her husband and their six children were found dead in their Grand Haven Township home on July 24. Relatives identified the children as Keegan, Bennett, Caroline, Ella, Smith and Teddy. The family’s pets also died in the fire.
Authorities said all eight died of gunshot wounds on Monday. The deaths of Amanda and all the children were ruled homicides, and Kristopher Karolkiewicz’s death was ruled a suicide. Police have not yet determined a motive.
Reddit posts and family response
Social media posts showed that Mandy Karolkiewicz and her daughters had just returned from China on July 17. Posts and comments on a Reddit account matching law enforcement details for Mandy described a fraught marriage and accusations of infidelity. On Monday, the Holland Sentinel said it independently matched details about the couple’s marriage dates, ages, children, occupations and residence.
Emily Jones told WOOD-TV that the family has no way to confirm that Mandy wrote the Reddit posts. Jones said, “It’s very clear that whoever wrote that, they were using Reddit as an outlet to seek support in a bit of anonymity, because for whatever reason, they felt they couldn’t seek it in their real lives.” She added, “I think that that’s sad in and of itself, whether it was Mandy or somebody else. It’s sad if somebody feels like they can’t speak their fears out loud outside of something like Reddit.”
For the family, the public record now fixes the timeline but not the reason. The deaths were ruled a murder-suicide, the children were identified, and investigators said they are still looking for a motive.
