Bulgarian authorities are probing a chilling cluster of six deaths in the western Balkan Mountains, spanning two eerie scenes just days apart. Prosecutors suspect murder-suicides tied to a tight-knit nature conservation group, fueling wild speculation likened to Twin Peaks.
First Incident: Petrohan Pass
On February 2, three men—Decho Iliev (45), Ivaylo Ivanov (49), and Plamen Stattev (51)—were found shot in the head near a torched lodge they used as an NGO base for protected areas patrols. Forensics point to self-inflicted wounds, with victim DNA on the guns, though no clear signs of struggle emerged initially.
Second Incident: Okolchitsa Peak
Six days later on February 8, speleologist Ivaylo Kalushev (51), Nikolay Zlatkov (22), and teen Alexander Makulev (15)—son of a group associate—were discovered in a camper van 62 miles north, also with gunshot wounds. Autopsies suggest two murders followed by suicide; the boy’s intertwined fingers added a haunting detail.
Investigation Focus
Police link the cases via the victims’ shared NGO ties and interest in Tibetan Buddhism, amid reports of group “psychological instability.” National police chief Zahari Vaskov called it unprecedented, while prosecutor Borislav Sarafov invoked Twin Peaks amid conspiracy theories over sparse details. No suspects yet; murder-suicide remains the lead theory.
