Six dead on Stara planina; 'Twin Peaks–like' case sends shivers down the spine PHOTO/VIDEO

On February 2, police discovered the bodies of three men, aged 45, 49, and 51, in the yard of a burned private mountain cabin near the Petrohan Pass.

“There are no signs of a struggle or any injuries other than those caused by firearms,” said Sofia High Court Deputy Prosecutor Natalia Nikolova, adding that it is assumed the three also died by suicide.

Later, the bodies of two men, aged 51 and 22, as well as a 15-year-old boy, were found in a camper parked in the same mountain range.

“According to the autopsy results of three bodies, it appears that two consecutive homicides and one suicide were likely committed,” the Bulgarian prosecutor’s office announced yesterday, referring to the autopsy findings of the bodies discovered in the camper.

Based on surveillance footage around the cabin, investigators determined that all six deceased individuals were together until the morning of February 1. Part of the group, including the 15-year-old boy, then left in the camper, while the others stayed in the cabin, which was subsequently set on fire.

Investigation focuses on NGO

The case, which the director of the national police on Sunday described as “an unprecedented crime, at least for Bulgaria,” has sparked a wave of speculation on social media, along with criticism of the police investigation.

Most of the victims were members of a non-governmental organization called the National Agency for the Supervision of Protected Areas (NAKZT), which organizes summer camps for youth in rural areas. The prosecutor’s office announced it will investigate the activities of this organization, particularly in light of allegations of cult-like practices.

Acting Chief Bulgarian Prosecutor Borislav Sarafov last week drew a parallel between this case and Twin Peaks, the American TV series by director David Lynch about an FBI agent who, while investigating a murder, uncovers bizarre and disturbing secrets in the town of the same name.