Investigators continued working through the night on the serious criminal case near the former Petrohan lodge, where the bodies of three men were discovered on Monday afternoon. The probe involves senior forensic experts, with authorities gathering detailed information about the victims, questioning relatives and acquaintances, tracking traffic data, and reviewing footage from security and Road Infrastructure Agency cameras. Autopsies have been ordered, while investigators are pursuing several main hypotheses, ranging from homicide to a possible ritual suicide.

According to initial information, the three men were found shot in the head, with weapons discovered near their bodies. The victims were aged 45, 49 and 51. The lodge is located east of the current road through the Petrohan Pass, near the old historic route starting from the village of Brakyovtsi. Residents in the area reported hearing gunshots on Monday evening.

The alarm was raised at around 11:20 a.m., when a report was filed about a burned lodge. Police arriving at the scene found the charred building and, a short distance away, the lifeless bodies of three men, Sofia Regional Police Director Senior Commissioner Tihomir Tsenov said. The lodge is privately owned. Investigators believe the men had been living there permanently. Due to the presence of gas cylinders and the risk posed by the fire damage, the interior has not yet been fully inspected. Police will carry out further procedural actions once fire services confirm the site is safe.

Additional details emerged after a signal was received via the 112 emergency number from the mother of one of the deceased, who sought help after being unable to reach her son. Unofficial information suggests that one of the men contacted his mother shortly before the incident and hinted at what was about to happen. Early reports spoke of four people in the area, but only three bodies have been found so far. They were discovered outside the building, near the burned structure, rather than inside it.

The scene was secured with a wide perimeter, and access was strictly limited. The mayor of the village of Gintsi, Georgi Todorov, whose territory includes the lodge, said he was present during the initial stages of the operation. According to him, officers from the State Agency for National Security were the first to arrive, followed by forensic teams from Sofia, regional police units, local officers from Godech, and firefighters.

Todorov confirmed that all three men had gunshot wounds to the head and that multiple firearms were found at the site, including three pistols and a carbine, along with a large number of spent shell casings. He stressed that experts still need to establish the exact cause of death and reconstruct the sequence of events.

The mayor said between eight and ten people had been staying at the lodge. Authorities are now searching for one or two individuals believed to have left the area and traveled toward Burgas. These individuals are considered potential associates of the deceased. Todorov personally recognized two of the victims from prior encounters. One of them was regarded as the main person in charge of the site and presented himself as the owner, signing documents during inspections and communicating with various institutions. Another was known to the mayor by sight, though less frequently. The third could not be identified on the spot due to severe burns and the condition of the body.

According to local authorities, the lodge was heavily secured, with fences, barriers, surveillance cameras and even drones. The men claimed they were “protecting the forests and the environment” and were known to stop tourists and local residents, ask for identification documents and restrict access to the area.

The fire at the lodge reportedly broke out, was extinguished, and then reignited, forcing firefighters to return. Inside the building, burned dogs were found, believed to have been locked in at the time of the blaze. The investigation remains ongoing, with officials releasing limited information as forensic work and witness interviews continue.