Camilla Jessen
Mystery deepens after six bodies discovered.
On February 2, authorities found three men dead in a burned-down lodge near the Petrohan mountain pass in Bulgaria, which links Sofia province with northwestern Montana province, according to The Guardian, Novinite and Reuters.
The men were identified as Decho Iliev, 45, Ivaylo Ivanov, 49, and Plamen Stattev, 51.
Each had a gunshot wound to the head that forensic experts believe may have been self-inflicted.
Police said DNA recovered from the weapons matched the victims, The Guardian reported.
Second discovery
Less than a week later, on February 8, three more bodies were discovered in a camper near Okolchitsa Peak, about 62 miles north of Sofia.
The victims were identified as Ivaylo Kalushev, 51, a well-known speleologist and self-described spiritual leader, Nikolay Zlatkov, 22, and Alexander Makulev, 15.
According to reports, the teenager was found with his fingers intertwined on both hands.
Possible link
Police believe the two incidents are connected.
“We can conclude, for both investigations, that one of the main versions that we are working on is murder-suicide and suicide,” said Natalia Nikolova, deputy prosecutor at the Appeal Prosecutor’s Office, according to Reuters.
Five of the victims were members of the National Protected Areas Control Agency, an environmental NGO that used the lodge as its headquarters. Reuters reported that the men were living at the hut at the time.
Authorities said the group was involved in Tibetan Buddhism, and a relative of one member reportedly described “exceptional psychological instability” within the group.
The unusual details and limited information have fueled public speculation.
General prosecutor Borislav Sarafov said, “Life has given us more shocking details here than in the Twin Peaks series,” according to The Guardian.
National Police director Zahari Vaskov described the case as “a case without comparison in our country.”
The investigation remains ongoing as officials work to determine exactly what led to the deaths.
Sources: Reuters, The Guardian, Novinite
