A public memorial service has been scheduled for a mother and her two young children who were stabbed to death in a murder-suicide that left five dead in Buffalo Grove.
The service will be held at the Community Arts Center, 225 McHenry Road in Buffalo Grove, on Friday.
The gathering will start at 12 p.m. and the service will be from 12:30-1:30 p.m. followed by refreshments until 2:30 p.m.
The service will honor Vera Kisliak, Vivian Kisliak and Amilia Kisliak, who were found dead around 11:15 a.m. on November 30.
The Buffalo Grove Police Department had responded to a well-being check on a woman in the 2800 block of Acacia Terrace in Buffalo Grove.
Officers arrived and were unable to make contact with anyone inside the home, Buffalo Grove Police Chief Brian Budds said.
Officers decided to force entry to the residence and a sweep of the home was then conducted.
The officers found five deceased people inside, Budds said.
Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek identified the five as Lilia Kisliak, 67; Andrei Kisliak, 39; Vera Kisliak, 36; Vivian Kisliak, 6; and Amilia Kisliak, 4.
Andrei Kisliak and Vera Kisliak were the parents of the two children, Banek said.
Budds said the preliminary investigation shows Andrei Kisliak killed his family members before inflicting wounds on himself and succumbing to those wounds.
The relationship between Lilia Kisliak and the rest of the family was unconfirmed by officials but neighbors said she was a grandmother to the children and the mother of Andrei Kisliak.
A source told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that the victims were found throughout the house in various areas.
None of them were in bed sleeping at the time when they were killed.
The exact timeframe of when the murders happened was not clear but the victims’ wounds appeared recent, the source said.
Autopsies were performed and the preliminary results showed the five died from sharp force injuries, Banek said.
Buffalo Grove resident Natasha Kuzmenko, who is a neighbor, said the community has been “shaken to the core” by the horrific news.
She said that Vera Kisliak was a devoted and loving mom to a “fun-loving, energetic, always smiling” 7-year-old Vivi and “delicate, kind, sweet” 4-year-old Amilusha.
“She did her best to keep them safe and happy but their lives were cut too short in the most gruesome way,” Kuzmenko said.
The woman created a GoFundMe account to help raise money to send the mother and her two children overseas to where Vera Kisliak’s family lives so they can be buried in their hometown.
The account has already raised over $70,000, surpassing the $50,000 goal.
Lake County court records show Andrei Kisliak and Vera Kisliak filed for divorce on July 8.
One month later, Andrei Kisliak filed a petition for an order of protection against his wife. A judge denied his emergency request.
In his petition, Andrei Kisliak complained about his wife working full-time and not paying for any expenses.
He said that he had been working two or three jobs for the last 10 years of their marriage “due to her lifestyle.”
“Unfortunately Vera 10 years after entering United States as internet bride, still couldn’t find herself in life,” Andrei Kisliak said in the petition.
In September, Vera Kisliak filed a petition for an order of protection against her husband. A judge granted her emergency request and later issued a plenary order of protection.
The woman said that her husband had a history of violence and a history of possessing or using firearms.
The same day that Vera Kisliak’s petition was filed, a judge found her husband in contempt of court, and two weeks later Buffalo Grove officers arrested the man after he allegedly violated the order of protection.
Court records show a bank filed for foreclosure against the couple earlier this month on November 9 after they had been behind on the mortgage for over two years.
“She only had a few couple of friends – no family here – and she confided in my mom, and my mom told her, ‘You need to get out,'” said Liliya Vitulli told CBS Chicago.
“She said she can’t – she had no money, she had no relatives – she couldn’t, couldn’t leave the situation,” Vitulli said.
“On behalf of the men and women of the Buffalo Grove Police Department along with the entire Village board and staff, our sincerest and heartfelt condolences go out to the families of the victims of this tragic incident. Today is a very sad day for our community as we continue to process this unthinkable event,” Budds said.
Budds provided no further details regarding the circumstances of the killings.
No survivors were left inside the home, Budds said, adding that the scene was “devasting and traumatic” for the officers who responded.
A family pet was also found dead inside the home.
The Lake County Major Crime Task Force is assisting in the ongoing investigation.
“We would see the kids playing about,” one neighbor said, WGN reported.
“They would have friends and family gatherings. Nothing too out of the ordinary so it’s a big shock to have all this occurring, especially during this time of the year,” the neighbor said.