Wife 'likely died before her kids' in apparent Michigan murder-suicide that left family of 8 dead

A news outlet which has obtained the death certificates of a wife and her children believed to have been murdered by their father reveals that the mother likely died 'earlier than the children'.

Kristopher Karolkiewicz, 47, is believed to have shot his wife Mandy, 39, and their six kids before setting fire to their family home and then taking his own life.

The Michigan family's pets also perished in the fire.

News 8 has obtained Mandy's death certificate which states that the 39-year-old died 'on or after' July 23.

The dates of death are July 24 for Kristopher and the six children, who have been named as 15-year-old Keegan, 12-year-old Bennett, 11-year-old Smith, 11-year-old Ella, 11-year-old Caroline and 5-year-old Theodore.

The exact times of their deaths have been listed as 'unknown', documents show, but the manner of death for Mandy and her children is listed as 'homicide'. Meanwhile Kristopher's cause of death is listed as a suicide.

Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Jacob Sparks confirmed that Mandy 'likely died earlier than her children'.

He added to News 8 in an email: "We don’t have an exact timeline yet and are still working to establish that."

Reportedly Kristopher had engaged in an emotional affair before he and his family died. Mandy shared details of her marriage woes on Reddit from an account that has been independently confirmed to have been hers, reports Detroit News.

One of her posts to a thread from 2024 allegedly read: "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."

Mandy continued to write under the username MandyK1179 that she wouldn't have tried to amend their marriage had it not been for their children.

Mandy Karolkiewicz pictured with her six children (Emily Jones/WOOD TV8)

"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," she went on to pen.

While the posts appear to have been shared by Mandy, family spokesperson Emily Jones told News 8 that 'we have no way to confirm that that was Mandy that made the posts'.

She continued: "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.

"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."

If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact GrieveWell on (734) 975-0238, or email [email protected].