The Petrohan Case: Six Deaths, Few Answers and a Week of Silence

For more than a week, public attention in Bulgaria has been focused on an opaque and disturbing criminal case, marked by a near-total lack of official information and an overflow of assumptions, unofficial versions and outright conspiracies circulating in the media and on social networks. Within seven days, six people were found dead in the Western Stara Planina, turning the case into one of the most unsettling criminal mysteries in recent years.

The latest development came on Sunday, when three bodies with gunshot wounds were discovered in a camper near Okolchitsa Peak in the Vratsa Balkan. Police confirmed only that the men found there were the same individuals previously sought in connection with the deaths of three other men discovered earlier in the former Petrohan lodge, now privately owned. Beyond that, institutions offered little clarity.

According to National Police Director Chief Commissioner Zahari Vaskov, the camper belonged to the same “organization” as the victims from the lodge, referring to the National Agency for Control of Protected Areas, a non-governmental organization. He added that the shots were fired inside the vehicle. A senior police official from Vratsa described one of the bodies as having his face pressed against the glass when found.

While these details seemed to partially lift the veil over the Petrohan case, they simultaneously raised even more questions about the violent deaths of five adult men and a teenage boy.

What is known about the Petrohan lodge killings

The publicly known timeline began on the morning of February 2, when three bodies were found in the Petrohan lodge. The only eyewitness who spoke publicly was the mayor of the village of Gintsi, who said all three men had been shot in the head. Two had wounds in the temple, while the third was shot under the chin. Two of the bodies were positioned face-up, while the third lay face-down. One victim had burn marks on his back, and traces of fire were found on another’s clothing.

The lodge had been set on fire, but not completely destroyed. Two large dogs were found dead in a separate room. It remains unclear whether they were shot or burned. At the scene, investigators found two pistols and a carbine, reportedly of American manufacture.

The mayor also stated that officers from the State Agency "National Security" (SANS) arrived before the police, which he described as unusual given that the alert had been made through the emergency number 112. This claim was later denied by the agency, while police leadership avoided addressing the issue directly.

The three victims were later identified as Ivaylo Ivanov, Decho Vassilev and Plamen Stattev, though the Interior Ministry has never officially confirmed their names. Ivanov was a lawyer involved in international arbitration cases, Stattev was a speleology instructor, and Vassilev co-owned an accounting firm.

The missing three and the message that deepened the mystery

Shortly after the discovery, authorities began searching for three more individuals: Ivaylo Kalushev, the owner of the lodge and founder of the NGO; 22-year-old speleologist Nikolay Zlatkov; and a 15-year-old boy, Aleksandar Makulev. Before their bodies were found, a farewell message sent by Kalushev to his mother became public, significantly intensifying speculation.

The message, sent on February 1, spoke cryptically about exhaustion, forgiveness, a “sick child,” and a refusal to allow the world to become a nightmare. According to media investigations, similar messages were sent to other relatives.

At the same time, institutions remained largely silent, a vacuum that allowed fear, rumors and extreme interpretations to flourish.

How the authorities were alerted

Investigations later revealed that the Petrohan lodge was owned by Kalushev, who had founded the NGO in 2022. According to journalistic findings, the first report of the killings was made by a close family friend, asked by Kalushev’s mother to check the lodge after receiving the disturbing message. Due to severe weather, the man postponed his visit until the next morning, when he found the bodies.

After encountering a Border Police patrol, he was instructed to report the incident via 112. Any involvement of security services appears to have been procedural, linked to the border location of the area.

What may have happened inside the lodge

Despite fire damage, investigators reportedly managed to recover partial footage from a camera inside the lodge. According to Interior Ministry sources, the video shows the three men later found dead shooting the dogs, spreading flammable liquid and starting the fire before leaving the camera’s range. The rest of the recordings were allegedly destroyed.

Two independent sources stated that the footage does not show Kalushev or the two young people. However, public television reported the existence of external camera footage from Sunday afternoon showing all six individuals at the lodge, roughly coinciding with the time Kalushev’s mother received the SMS.

Autopsy data cited unofficially suggest the three men in the lodge died between 12 and 18 hours before their bodies were discovered. Whether those recorded on video were indeed the same individuals found dead remains unconfirmed.

The path to Okolchitsa Peak

The phones of Kalushev and the two young men were traced to the village of Gintsi before being switched off on Sunday evening. Initial police leaks suggested they were heading toward Burgas and the southern Black Sea coast. Later, traffic camera reports placed the camper near Vratsa instead.

Aleksandar Makulev’s father confirmed his son had been with Kalushev days earlier in the village of Bulgari near the Black Sea coast. According to family sources, the boy had been living with Kalushev’s group for nearly two years due to family difficulties. Kalushev was close to the family, and Makulev’s older son had previously joined expeditions organized by the same circle.

Media pressure, institutional silence and radical theories

The absence of clear official communication led to intense scrutiny of the victims’ lives. Kalushev was portrayed as a speleologist, Buddhist, extreme athlete and environmental activist who organized children’s camps and worked with schools. Speculation escalated after police briefly mentioned investigating a possible pedophile network.

Subsequent checks found no active investigation or complaint related to sexual abuse involving Kalushev or his organizations. Still, statements by senior officials comparing the case to a thriller and hinting at hidden truths further inflamed public hysteria.

Authorities later acknowledged that a pedophilia report had existed but was withdrawn, reportedly after a family dispute was resolved.

Questions about the organization and political undertones

Journalists questioned how an NGO could legally use the phrase “national agency” in its name. Registry checks showed dozens of similar cases. Archived versions of the organization’s websites revealed a 2022 framework agreement with the Environment Ministry, signed during a previous government, though it carried no funding or obligations.

Sponsors listed included prominent public figures, who said they supported environmental protection efforts in good faith. Claims of paramilitary activity or state usurpation were not supported by evidence, though they gained traction in political rhetoric.

Victims turned suspects

Unconfirmed reports about hidden weapons caches were denied by the Interior Ministry, which said only legally owned firearms were found. Experts criticized the institutional handling of the case, arguing that silence and insinuations had effectively shifted blame onto the victims.

Kalushev’s final public social media activity was the posting of Hristo Botev’s poem “Borba” (Struggle) a detail investigators reportedly overlooked. Relatives, however, described this behavior as uncharacteristic.

Competing interpretations and unresolved doubts

After the discovery of the camper near Okolchitsa, authorities stated they were no longer searching for suspects, only witnesses, implying the case was effectively closed. Whether investigators have adopted a suicide narrative remains unclear.

Psychiatric experts publicly advanced the theory of an “extended melancholic suicide,” a rare but documented condition linked to severe depression. According to this hypothesis, Kalushev may have killed others before taking his own life, driven by a profound mental collapse.

Former officials and legal experts criticized the lack of transparency and oversight, questioning how armed individuals could operate unchecked for years, how children were involved without supervision, and why early public appeals were not made.

Others raised alternative possibilities, including third-party involvement, systematic murder, or motives unrelated to mental illness. The delayed release of autopsy and ballistic results continues to fuel doubts.

An investigation far from closure

Six people are dead. No defendants will stand trial. Many facts remain undisclosed, and key questions persist about responsibility, institutional failure and motive. Whether the Petrohan case will ultimately be remembered as a tragic psychological breakdown or as a deeper failure of state oversight remains unresolved.