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'Wish we could have helped her more': Fundraiser launched in memory of Buffalo Grove mom, daughters

Friends of a Buffalo Grove mother found dead in her home Wednesday along with her two young daughters have launched an online fundraiser to help pay for their burial.

The GoFundMe "In Loving Memory of Vera Kisliak, Vivian, Amilia" campaign will help pay for funeral services, burial and transportation costs for Vera Kisliak and daughters Vivian, 6, and Amilia, 4, organizers say on the website.

"I wish we could have helped her more when she was actually alive," said friend Natasha Kuzmenko, one of the campaign's organizers. "It feels like we should have done more."

The fundraiser began with a $50,000 goal, but by Sunday evening had raised nearly $60,000.

"Vera was a devoted and a loving mom to a fun loving, energetic, always smiling (6)-year-old Vivi and delicate, kind, sweet 4-year-old Amilusha," organizers wrote on the fundraiser page. "She did her best to keep them safe and happy but their lives were cut too short in the most gruesome way."

Police found Vera Kisliak, 36, and the girls dead in their Acacia Terrace home Wednesday morning while conducting a well-being check. Also found dead were the children's grandmother, Lilia Kisliak, 67, and Vera's estranged husband, 39-year-old Andrei Kisliak.

Authorities say all five victims were stabbed to death, but have not revealed who they believe is responsible for the killings. Police have said they do not believe there is a threat to the public.

Court records show Vera and Andrei Kisliak had been going through a contentious divorce, and Andrei had been arrested in late September on allegations he had violated an order of protection obtained by his wife.

Court filings show Vera Kisliak had told a court her husband brought home prostitutes, used drugs heavily, followed her as she took their children to school, stole her car and threatened to kill her "and disfigure her in a way that no one will recognize her," according to a Chicago Sun-Times report.

However, at the couple's request, a Lake County judge agreed on Nov. 1 to modify Vera's order of protection to allow her husband to move back to the family home.

Kuzmenko, who lives in the same Buffalo Grove neighborhood, said Vera Kisliak wanted to be sure her husband could continue seeing their daughters.

"That's the reason she pulled out that order of protection, because she (said), 'Listen I have to be nice to him. Maybe he'll understand and we'll work it out,'" Kuzmenko said.

However, Kuzmenko said her friend often expressed fear for her safety.

"Every time we would sit and talk, she would say, 'He's going to kill me.' She lived in fear every day. She would always think that he's plotting something against her," she said.

Kuzmenko said Vera Kisliak worked as a receptionist at a real estate firm.

"She was a very nice person," she added. " Very caring and loving, friendly."

Andrei Kisliak worked as a tennis coach before the COVID-19 pandemic, and more recently had been selling refrigerators, she said.

Organizers of the fundraiser say survivors live overseas and are not prepared for the financial burden that comes with funeral and burial services. The fundraiser can be found at https://tinyurl.com/2z9zzw5u.

'Sad day for our community': Authorities identify family members killed in Buffalo Grove home

Who killed the Kisliaks? Buffalo Grove police remain mum

Vera Kisliak describes a tormented life with husband, according to court records

  Flowers and other memorials have been placed outside a Buffalo Grove home where five people, including two young girls, were found stabbed to death last week. Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
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