site.btaProsecution Service Seeks Assistance from US Partner Service, Europol, in Petrohan-Okolchitsa Investigation

The Sofia Regional Prosecution Office announced Tuesday that it has requested assistance from an American partner service and from Europol, through Bulgaria’s national representative at Eurojust, in connection with pre-trial proceedings into a high-profile multiple deaths case - the Petrohan-Okolchitsa Case.  

It is a high-profile criminal case in which five men and a 15-year-old boy met a violent death between February 1 and 8. Their bodies were found in two remote mountain locations in Northwestern Bulgaria: a lodge near the Petrohan Pass and a camper van near Okolchitsa Peak. Forensic experts established that all six died of gunshot wounds. Law enforcement officials said the principal leads they followed, based on ballistics findings, the causes of death have been identified as suicide at the lodge and homicide and suicide in the camper.

The request to the American partner service is related to the need for expert assistance in establishing all information that may be stored on electronic devices seized as part of the investigation.

One of the letters states that, in the investigative actions carried out so far, various types of electronic devices have been admitted as material evidence, in which information relevant to the subject of the pre-trial proceedings may be stored. Assistance has also been requested for additional technical analysis of other seized material evidence, including phones, computers, and other devices. At present, the devices have been submitted for expert examination at the National Institute of Criminology of the Ministry of Interior.

The second letter requests assistance from Eurojust regarding the possibility of expert support from Europol in preparing analyses and expert reports to clarify the activities of six Bulgarian nationals involved in the Petrohan-Okolchitsa Case on the territory of Mexico. This includes obtaining information on their stay in the country, any real estate owned by them, vehicles, registered addresses, and possible criminal records, as well as any other information that may be relevant to the investigation in Bulgaria.