Six bodies found in Bulgarian mountains in a week. Three are believed to have killed the other three. But who then killed them?

Photo: Bulgarian National News Agency

Within just one week, a series of mysterious deaths occurred in the Western Balkans (Bulgaria) that still lacks a clear explanation and has sparked mass hysteria across the country. The Bulgarian publication "Capital" reports the details.

It all began on Sunday, February 1st. Ivaylo Kalushev, founder of the public organization "National Agency for the Control of Protected Areas" (NACPA), sent his mother a strange farewell message:

"Nothing you hear will be true — not even a tiny bit. But we no longer have the strength to fight this pigsty… This isn't even the reason; it's simply the final straw that overflowed the cup for all of us — another sincere attempt to help a sick child (this isn't XXX) — it's a girl, in your honor :)))

Forgive me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. And if you find the strength (or when you feel better), just direct your thoughts to me — and you will find me. This world is just a very enduring dream. There's no point in turning it into a nightmare. Do the opposite of everyone, look inside yourself and smile. I love you very much. Be free."

Similar messages were received by other close contacts of Kalushev. At 4:07 PM that same day, he published Hristo Botev's poem "The Struggle" on Facebook — a patriotic work about the indomitability of spirit. After that, his phone and the phones of his companions went silent.

Unable to contact her son, Kalushev's mother asked an acquaintance from a nearby village to check the lodge. He tried to get there on Sunday evening, but due to stormy winds, he turned back and only entered on Monday morning. There he saw three bodies with gunshot wounds to the head.

On his way back, the man encountered a Border Police patrol, who advised him to officially call 112. Consequently, instead of the police, officers from the State Agency for National Security (DANS — the Bulgarian equivalent of the KGB) were the first to arrive at the scene of the tragedy, as the area is within a border zone.

Although the police did not release names, journalists found out that the deceased were: Ivaylo Ivanov, a successful lawyer who represented Rosatom's interests in international arbitrations; Decha Vasilev, co-owner of an accounting firm; and Plamen Statev, a well-known caving instructor. All of them were part of the NACPA organization, founded by Ivaylo Kalushev — a speleologist, extreme athlete, and owner of the Petrohan lodge.

Despite the fire, investigators managed to recover fragments of video footage from internal cameras. The recordings show three individuals, whose bodies were later found in the building, shooting dogs, scattering fuel pellets across the room, pouring flammable liquid, and starting a fire. Following this, the men leave the camera's field of view. The remaining recordings, it is claimed, were destroyed by the flames.

At the same time, the police found out that on the eve of the tragedy, three more people were at the lodge — Ivaylo Kalushev himself, 22-year-old Nikolay Zlatkov, and 15-year-old Alexander Makulev. A courtyard camera recorded all six together on the afternoon of February 1. This coincides with the time Kalushev's mother received the message. Since these three disappeared in a camper van after the fire, they were declared wanted nationwide as the main suspects.

A Week of Hysteria

While the police searched for the trio, the country was gripped by mass psychosis. Authorities fueled the frenzy. The most outspoken statement came from acting Prosecutor General Borislav Sarafov. Appearing before journalists alongside the heads of special services, he made direct analogies:

"The case in 'Petrohan' strongly resembles the thriller 'Twin Peaks.' Ungodly deeds were truly committed in this house in the mountains. You must read between the lines to understand what I mean. This particularly pertains to the organization's activities concerning children, whom parents — which I find simply outrageous — themselves handed over to these individuals."

Interim DANS head Denyo Denev admitted that Kalushev's organization had previously been investigated following a tip regarding pedophilia. However, journalists discovered that while a tip did exist, it pertained to a family dispute. The grandparents of one of the children had complained about their daughter, who had sent the child for training with Kalushev. Later, the family reconciled, and the complaint was withdrawn. No criminal investigation into child abuse within the Ministry of Interior ever existed.

Kalushev was a Buddhist, lived in Mexico, and considered himself a "lama." He organized children's camps and worked with one of the capital's schools. His image as a spiritual leader of a closed group perfectly fit the theory of mass suicide.

While some sought mysticism, others found politics. It turned out that NACPA had agreements with the Ministry of Environment, and among its sponsors were Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev and a well-known businesswoman.

Political opponents immediately accused authorities of allowing a "paramilitary group" to perform state functions. Journalists found evidence that NACPA members behaved like rulers in the mountains: wearing uniforms, demanding documents from tourists, and arbitrarily blocking mountain trails.

Throughout the week, police claimed Kalushev's camper had been sighted in the Burgas region. However, on Sunday, February 9th, it was found in an entirely different location — near Akolchitsa peak, relatively close to the site of the first tragedy. Inside were the bodies of Kalushev and the two young men. Shots had been fired inside the vehicle.

The father of 15-year-old Alexander was calm until the last moment. It turned out that his son had been living with Kalushev's group for two years due to family problems, and Makulev's older son had even traveled with Kalushev on an expedition to Mexico.

Illogical Facts and Unanswered Questions

Despite the police statement that there are no longer any suspects and the investigation is leaning towards a collective suicide, too many unanswered questions remain. How can the suicide theory be explained when the deceased included successful individuals — a lawyer, an accountant, and professional speleologists?

If Kalushev was the killer, why didn't he kill the two young men immediately at the lodge, but instead traveled with them in the camper for a whole week, only to then shoot them and himself?

Why did the police search for the vehicle in the Burgas region for a week, when it was in the nearby mountains all that time?

And finally, as speleologists who frequently visited wild border areas where smugglers and illegal migrant traffickers operate, could these individuals have witnessed something illicit that ultimately cost them their lives?

The investigation has yet to provide a public explanation for either the motives or the sequence of events. The results of autopsies and ballistic examinations have not yet been released.

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