Vera Kisliak “lived in fear every day” as she faced violent threats from her husband, including a menacing vow to “slice her head off,” a neighbor told the Sun-Times Monday.
Natasha Kuzmenko spoke hours after Buffalo Grove police announced that Vera Kisliak’s husband, Andrei Kisliak, had killed her, their two daughters and his mother before stabbing himself to death last week at their million-dollar home in the northern suburb.
Vera Kisliak’s relationship with her husband began to spiral out of control in July when the couple filed for divorce, Kuzmenko said. She described Vera Kisliak as an “involved mother,” noting that their kids played together and they talked most days.
“There was a lot of stories, very creepy ones, [about] how he would threaten her, what he would say, [like] he would slice her up and all kinds of disturbing things,” she said. “But there was no physical abuse.
“So unfortunately, every time she would call the police, they would tell her there’s not much they can do. She [needed] to get an order of protection because they couldn’t do anything since all the abuse was just mental.”
Last Wednesday, the Kisliaks were found inside their home in the 2800 block of Acadia Terrace, where Police Chief Brian Budds said officers found a “horrific” crime scene after forcing their way inside. Police were initially called there for a well-being check on Vera Kisliak.
The news shocked a neighborhood dotted with mansions and well-manicured lawns. One neighbor remembered Vera Kisliak as “a really good mom,” while the superintendent of Amilia’s school district said she and her sister were “known to be happy and cheerful children.”
For days, police declined to say whether they suspected Andrei Kisliak of killing his family and then himself.
But on Monday, Budds released a statement saying “based on evidence collected at the scene, information obtained by investigators and the Lake County coroner’s examination, the preliminary investigation indicates Andrei Kisliak (39 years old) is responsible for the homicides of Amilia Kisliak (4 years old), Vivian Kisliak (6 years old), Vera Kisliak (36 years old) and Lilia Kisliak (67 years old).
“It appears Andrei then inflicted wounds on himself and succumbed to those wounds,” the statement read. “Our community is mourning, and I hope these findings help bring some closure as we continue to process this terrible tragedy.”
The Sun-Times reported last week that Andrei Kisliak had harassed and threatened his wife for months after filing for divorce. She agreed to let him move back into their home at the start of last month — despite a judge’s warning.
A friend of the couple said Andrei Kisliak was a successful house flipper — buying, upgrading and reselling homes — and that Vera had been his real estate agent, though court filings said she had been working as a secretary and that Andrei had stopped working.
Andrei Kisliak was born in Belarus, met Vera through friends and traveled to visit her a half dozen times before they married in Minsk, a friend of the Kisliaks previously told the Sun-Times. Andrei Kisliak’s mother moved into the house this fall to help care for the children, according to court records.
The couple filed for divorce in July, and subsequent filings by Vera Kisliak’s attorney paint a dire picture of erratic, threatening behavior by Andrei.
Andrei Kisliak abused drugs, including marijuana and cocaine, and had been barred from the house after Vera sought a protective order in August. He was arrested for violating that order in September and, according to Vera, once threatened to kill her and her relatives in her native Belarus and Poland.
In October, Andrei Kisliak, acting as his own attorney after his first two lawyers dropped him, filed a motion to withdraw his petition for divorce. The divorce proceedings were to continue, under Vera Kisliak’s counter-petition, but at a Nov. 1 hearing the couple agreed that Andrei could move back into the house.
The couple had a hearing in the divorce the morning before they were found dead.
Kuzmenko has started an online fundraiser to cover the funeral and burial costs for Vera Kisliak and her daughters. The GoFundMe campaign has already raised more than $64,000, but Kuzmenko said she’s left with a nagging feeling of regret.
“I wish I could’ve done more when she needed it the most,” she said.
