Police: Father Stabs, Kills Daughter Then Takes Own Life
WOODRIDGE, Ill. (STMW) -- A man stabbed his 3-year-old daughter to death Friday in Woodridge and then took his own life, police said.
Officers found Robert Bzdek, 34, dead at a home in the 2700 block of Meadowdale Lane around 4:30 p.m. Friday and his daughter Zuzanna still alive but with multiple stab wounds, according to the police.
Zuzanna was taken to Edward Hospital in Naperville, where she died in surgery, police said.
No other details were released by police, who called the incident a murder-suicide.
"This is just a tragedy," a female relative, who declined to give her name, said Saturday. "Nobody is ready to [talk]."
Zuzanna's older brother Emanuel Szyszka created a website seeking donations to bury the little girl he called Zuzia.
"The whole family would really appreciate if each person contributed some sort of dollar amount for our cause, and, to every contributor, thank you sincerely for your time and support given such an atrocity," Emanuel Szyszka wrote.
Szyszka told the Sun-Times:
"My sister was a wonderful child that could brighten anyone's day with her glorious smile and charming personality. She loved the songs 'Gangnam Style' and 'Pop Pop Americano,' pleading with us in her cute voice to constantly repeat the songs to the point of annoyance. She loved to enjoy life, and although she sometimes had her spoiled moments and would say she hated one of us, she would get over it in minutes and want to play with us and have us chase her around. She will be deeply missed, and we will never forget her as long as we live."
About what happened, he passed along his Facebook posting:
"At 4 p.m., I came home to grab my gymnastics stuff for practice, and when exiting my room, I noticed bloody footsteps leading from the bedroom. I knocked on his door and he said that he cut his feet on glass. I went downstairs to leave and grab a drink for practice, but something wasn't right. So I tried looking through the bedroom window to see what was going on. The curtains were shut and I couldn't see anything. I sprinted up the stairs and tried to force the door open to no avail and my shouting for him falling on deaf ears. After calling the cops, I learned that he had committed suicide by hanging himself in the room. I watched as they carried out my limp sister out the door, and heard the police say that she was still breathing. Not until much later, did I learn that he had stabbed my precious Zuzia in the chest before he hung himself. The doctors at the hospital worked their hardest to try and save my angel, but they couldn't and she was pronounced dead around 4:50 p.m. In an attempt to escape the troubles of the painful divorce, my stepfather killed my sister, and then himself."
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2014. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)