Six individuals were found dead last week in the mountains of western Bulgaria, in circumstances described by authorities as unusual and contradictory. The case has drawn national attention, with a prosecutor comparing the twin triple deaths to the 1990s mystery series “Twin Peaks.”
“This is an unprecedented case in our country,” said Zahari Vaskov, director of Bulgaria’s National Police Directorate, during a Monday press conference.
Authorities are investigating whether the deaths were homicide-suicide or suicide, a lack of clarity that has fueled speculation and conspiracy theories among the public.
On Sunday, police discovered the bodies of three individuals, including a 15-year-old boy, in a camping van near Okolchitsa Peak. Investigators believe they were linked to a triple homicide a week earlier in a mountain hut near Petrohan, which was later set on fire.
The hut had been used as a base for an NGO dedicated to environmental protection, though some sources described its members as forest rangers assisting border police near the Serbian border. Five of the deceased were members of the National Agency for Protected Areas NGO, while the boy was a friend’s son.
Security footage from February 1, the day of the first killings, shows all six individuals bidding farewell to one another, with three later seen setting the hut on fire. Investigators noted the group was involved in Tibetan Buddhism, finding books and banners inside the hut. A relative of one member reported “extraordinary psychological instability” within the group.
Police recovered four shell casings, two pistols, and a rifle near the bodies, and forensic experts confirmed the shootings occurred at close range. The trio in the camping van was later found dead, with two victims suffering head injuries; autopsy results for the third are pending.
Deputy Prosecutor Natalia Nikolova stated:
“For both investigations, one of the main scenarios we are examining is homicide-suicide and suicide.”
The mysterious deaths have left investigators and the public searching for answers amid speculation and puzzling circumstances.
