Eight people, including six children, were found dead Friday inside a burning home in Grand Haven Township, and some victims suffered gunshot wounds, the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office said.
The sheriff’s office said it launched a suspicious death investigation. The victims are believed to be related and include six children ages 5 to 15 and two adults in their 40s. Investigators believe all eight lived at the home and are working to formally identify them, the office said.
The Grand Haven Fire Department initially responded to reports of the smell of smoke between 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. but could not locate a fire, the department said. Just before 11:45 a.m., deputies and firefighters returned after reports of white smoke coming from a home in the 14900 block of Riverside Trail. After extinguishing the blaze, crews discovered the victims inside, the sheriff’s office said.
Investigators later determined that at least some of the victims had been shot, the sheriff’s office said. Sheriff’s detectives are investigating alongside arson investigators with the Michigan State Police.
The sheriff’s office said the investigation remains active and that additional information is expected after the victims’ autopsies are completed.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
