‘This was dark, this was evil': Dozens attend vigil for loss of Grand Haven Twp. family
Dozens of Grand Haven-area students gathered Sunday night to honor the lives of the Karolkiewicz family members who were found dead in their home on Friday.
GRAND HAVEN — Dozens of Grand Haven-area students gathered Sunday night to honor the lives of the Karolkiewicz family members who were found dead in their home on Friday.
But questions remained late Sunday surrounding the jarring July 24 mass fatality that took place in their family home on Riverside Trail in Grand Haven Township.
Authorities have not yet formally named the victims. However, friends and family of the victims named them as Kristopher and Amanda "Mandy" Karolkiewicz, and their six children: Keegan, Bennett, Teddy, Smith, Caroline and Ella. The children ranged in age from 5 to 15.
Authorities confirmed earlier Sunday that murder/suicide is a theory they are investigating — something those at the Duncan Woods vigil admittedly had read in other media reports and saw posted on social media since the incident.
“That is one theory that we have at this point," said Ottawa County Sheriff's Captain Jacob Sparks. "It is too soon to say definitively until all autopsies are completed.”
Some of the victims did have gunshot wounds, he said, but no additional information has been released since.
Authorities plan to release additional information on Monday, July 27.
The vigil: ‘Some of you are here and absolutely broken’
The vigil was largely organized by students, namely Evan Cooke, who will be a freshman at Grand Haven High School in the fall, and was a friend of one of the Karolkiewicz children.
Church officials and grief counselors were at the event as well.
Evan’s father, A.J. Cook, said his son wanted to “pull something together” when he learned about the incident.
“He wanted to organize a prayer vigil. He wanted the right people involved,” Cook said, adding that he, too, was trying to process the deaths.
“It’s crazy. Their house is close to where we live. I’m just trying to get my head around it.”
Roughly 200 people or more gathered around 7:30 p.m. at Duncan Woods, where tables of food and beverages were set up, and poster boards full of photos of the Karolkievitz parents and children were propped up against a tree.
Attendees held small candles and cried, hugged, shook their heads in disbelief, and did their best to console one another.
The students — off to their own area — processed in their own way. At one point, they went to the top of a hill at the vigil site and made their way down to a prayer circle led by Chris Walker, a pastor at Covenant Life Church in Grand Haven.
Walker, acknowledging that it was the students, not their parents, who organized the event, addressed those there with empathy.
“You are supported by a network of adults who want to work through this with you,” he said to the students, most holding hands in the circle. “Some of you are here and absolutely broken … every emotion is welcome here. That’s what is going to help us get through this.”
Walker told the crowd it was OK to “have anger” over the loss of eight members of their community.
“This was dark, and this was evil. It’s OK to wrestle with what has happened. It’s OK to have questions and doubts.”
He then led the group in prayer and offered those in the circle to pray out loud or silently when he was finished.
The silence echoed through the wooded area at first, until one student quietly prayed out loud, as did others. Following the prayer circle, Walker encouraged the crowd to stay and comfort one another.
Grand Haven Public Schools released a second statement on Sunday evening, saying counseling for students will be available by Mosaic Counseling from 1-4 p.m. Monday, July 27, despite school not being in session.
"As our community continues to grieve Friday's tragic loss, our hearts remain with everyone affected. We know many members of our school community may be experiencing a wide range of emotions as they process this tragedy, whether they were directly impacted or simply struggling with the loss," said Superintendent Kristin Perkowski.
Counseling will be available at:
- Hope Church: 14932 Mercury Drive, Grand Haven
- Summit Church: 15020 Stanton St., West Olive
The district said support is available to any GHAPS student who would like someone to talk with, has questions about grief, or simply needs support during this difficult time. No appointment is necessary.
"As this remains an active investigation, we will continue to follow the guidance of the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office regarding public communication," Perkowski said. "While information has been circulating online, our role remains to share only information officially released by law enforcement."
Suspicious deaths
The Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office and the Grand Haven Fire Department initially responded to the area between 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. following reports of a smell of smoke, though emergency responders were initially unable to locate a source.
Crews were called back to the neighborhood at approximately 11:40 a.m. after reports came in of white smoke rising from a home in the 14900 block of Riverside Trail.
Firefighters entering the residence to suppress the flames and search for occupants discovered the victims inside. It wasn’t clear the extent of the fire damage or how it started.
Meanwhile, some vigil attendees said they were left with more questions than answers as of Sunday night. And parents grappled with the most appropriate way to explain the tragedy to their own children.
Megan VanHall, whose daughter, 14-year-old Zoey Alexander, went to school with Keegan Karolkiewicz, said there is no clear answer.
VanHall said she did not personally know the family.
“(Zoey) was out of town when it happened. It was hard to explain to her what happened, and we talked about the importance of checking up on people,” VanHall said. “Things might look good on the outside, but you just don’t know.”
— Heather VanDyke covers northern Ottawa County for the Ottawa News Network. Contact her at hvandyke@ottawanewsnetwork.org.
