advertisement

3-year-old girl killed in Woodridge murder-suicide

A 3-year-old Woodridge girl briefly survived a stabbing attack by her father Friday, only to succumb to her wounds as doctors tried to save her.

Zuzanna Bzdek was found with her dead father, Robert Bzdek, in a murder-suicide at their home at about 4:30 p.m. on the 2700 block of Meadowdale Lane, authorities said.

Residents along the tree-lined street, close to parks and an elementary school, were shaken by the death of the outgoing toddler who was "always smiling and really smart," said one neighbor who asked not to be identified.

Robert Bzdek stabbed his daughter first, then killed himself. Authorities would not say if anyone else was injured or at home when the crime was committed or what type of weapon was used.

Zuzanna was rushed with stab wounds to Edward Hospital in Naperville and died in surgery at about 5:47 p.m.

The family, which included Zuzanna, her two parents and teenage siblings, and had been working on fixing up their house and nothing out of the ordinary seemed to be going on, a neighbor said.

A relative set up a fundraiser for a funeral for Zuzanna on gofundme.com.

"The family is really thankful for all of your support and love that all of you guys have provided for us, Emanuel Szyszka posted on the website after donations poured in Saturday night.

A memorial with a white cross and stuffed animals lay outside the family's home.

Authorities described the deaths as an isolated event and noted the public was not in danger.

  A memorial is erected near the Woodridge home where Zuzanna Bzdek, 3, was killed in a murder-suicide. Marni Pyke/mpyke@dailyherald.com
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.