The neighbor had worried about what was going on inside the sprawling, modern home in Buffalo Grove.
The couple was getting a divorce, and the neighbor had recently seen police cars at the home in the 2800 block of Acacia Terrace. She finally got the courage to ask the mother of two young children who lived there if everything was OK.
Yes, the woman replied as the two walked back from seeing their children onto a school bus.
Wednesday morning, police were called to the home to check on the well-being of the mother. They found five people dead inside: Andrei Kisliak, 39; his wife, Vera Kisliak, 36; their two daughters, Vivian, 6, and Amilia, 4; and Lilia Kisliak, 67, the children’s grandmother, according to neighbors.
“They were so sweet,” the neighbor said of the children. “The older sister had a big personality. Very loud. The younger sister was very shy but so sweet.
“They were so innocent,” she said. “Such sweet girls. Babies. Babies. Just babies. How could anyone do this to their family?”
Four of the victims died from “sharp-force injuries,” according to Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek. An autopsy was still being performed on a fifth victim.
Other than releasing the names of the victims and causes of death, authorities released little new information during a news conference Thursday afternoon.
Buffalo Grove police Chief Brian Budds, who’s been in that job for less than a month, declined to say who inflicted the injuries or what kind of weapon was used but said the scene inside the home was “horrific.”
Budds said the deaths were domestic-related but would not answer questions about a protection order that had been sought by Vera Kisliak earlier this year or Andrei Kisliak’s arrest in late September for violating that order.
Lake County court records show Vera Kisliak had filed for divorce in July.
Budds also would not comment on neighbors’ reports that police had been called to the home in the last month or so. One told the Sun-Times she called police at the end of August because she was alarmed at how Andrei Kisliak was treating his children.
The news conference was ended as reporters asked for background on the victims.
Officers were called to the home at about 11 a.m. Wednesday, when a co-worker of the wife called police. When no one answered, the officers forced their way inside.
“It’s devastating and traumatic,” Budds said.
Court records show a troubled recent history for the family, the Daily Herald reported.
Andrei Kisliak sought a protective order on Aug. 10, but a judge declined to grant an emergency order. His request was dismissed 20 days later.
Vera Kisliak sought an order against her husband on Sept. 14. An emergency order was granted, then extended Oct. 3. The order required Andrei Kisliak to stay away from his wife, their two children and the home on Acacia Terrace, according to court documents. It also required him to turn over any firearms in his possession to the Buffalo Grove police department, though it is unclear whether he had any guns at the time.
Andrei Kisliak was charged with violating that order on Sept. 30, when authorities say he entered the Buffalo Grove home, according to court documents. He pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charge on Oct. 12.
A full, two-year order of protection was entered on Vera Kisliak’s behalf Oct. 25. There was a status hearing in court Tuesday on the couple’s divorce case.
Three weeks ago, a foreclosure petition was filed on the family home, records show.
Neighbors said they were shocked to hear about the deaths on their normally quiet block.
“They were a regular-looking family,” said one neighbor, who asked not to be named. “The husband was a nice guy, he’d say hello in the morning when dropping off the girls at the bus.”
He said they moved into the home about five years ago. The neighbor said the children attended school with his sons.
The neighbors said Vera Kisliak would be regularly seen walking with her kids and their dog around the neighborhood in the summer.
“She was a really good mom,” said the neighbor who talked to Kisliak recently. “Always taking her kids to the park and doing things with them.”
Vivian Kisliak was a student at Ivy Hall Elementary School in Buffalo Grove, according to Kathryn Sheridan, superintendent of Kildeer Countryside School District 96.
Both she and her 4-year-old sister Amilia were “known to be happy and cheerful children. Our hearts go out to all who knew them,” Sheridan said in a written statement. Vivian loved unicorns and dancing, she said.
Counseling services are being made available to staff members and students, and parents of Ivy Hall students have been contacted to give them the opportunity to share the news first with their children, Sheridan said.
