The horrifying statistics of child murders have expanded with another case. A week ago in Isperih, a father took the lives of his children, and then his own. Behind this crime is a whole chain of problems - from addictions to domestic violence, and all of this leads to institutional and human powerlessness, Nova TV reported.
Isperih rarely attracts attention to itself. Different ethnicities coexist in the small town in northeastern Bulgaria. At first glance, it is a peaceful place where people live in understanding, and conflicts are not part of everyday life. For a week, however, the town has been shaken by a tragedy that the locals call the “House of Horrors“.
The tragedy in Isperih is that a father killed his two daughters, and then committed suicide. Among the main versions that investigators are working on are domestic violence and serious debts accumulated as a result of addiction. September 1st turns out to be the last day of the lives of the two sisters from Isperih. Meetings with friends, walks around the city and the excitement around the start of the school year end precisely then. Days later, the girls are found dead. Their murderer - their own father - is also dead.
The daughter of the burning woman put her mother out of the flames
"According to the evidence collected on September 1st in Isperih, he gambled away about 1,500 euros. Then he went to Razgrad, where he lost another 3,000 to 4,000 euros, and according to forensic experts, the total amount reached between 5,000 and 6,000 euros," said Razgrad District Prosecutor Tihomir Todorov.
It was also established that the man had been drinking alcohol throughout the day. In Razgrad, he drank between 200 and 300 grams of concentrate, most likely whiskey. At the crime scene in Isperih, investigators found four to five empty beer cans. According to expert estimates, the total amount of alcohol consumed was about three to four liters of various beverages, which indicates a severe degree of alcoholic intoxication.
Investigators confirm that alcohol consumption was a common practice for the perpetrator. The main version of the investigation remains the combination of debts and severe family conflicts. According to investigators, the main reason for the separation between the parents was systemic domestic violence.
The prosecutor's office reports a growth of over 15% in cases of domestic violence in 2025.
“She could no longer live under the same roof with this man. They had been separated for less than two months. The mother and the children maintained contact with each other, and the reason the girls stayed with their father was that he had to buy them clothes and belongings for the upcoming start of the school year“, the prosecutor claims.
According to the investigation, the man owed money to his acquaintances. He worked as a taxi driver without the necessary registration, using his father's car. Investigators are also checking information related to the family's eldest daughter. At the moment, there is no official confirmation of the allegations that a year ago she gave birth to a child, who was subsequently left in a medical facility. According to experts, such cases are extremely rare for the community to which the family belongs, as honor and family relations traditionally have a strong importance.
However, the problems in this family did not begin with the death of three of its four members. On the contrary, the fatal development occurred after years of domestic violence, alcohol abuse, addictions and deepening family conflicts.
In the small town, where almost everyone knows everyone else, the family is well known. Locals describe the mother as a quiet, modest and hardworking woman. Opinions are contradictory about the father.
A 14-year-old girl called the police about domestic violence against her mother
„The girl was a classmate of my daughter. She was a good child, a smiling girl. Very unfortunate. "They were little angels," said a man who knew the family.
He said that the mother had repeatedly filed reports of violence: "How many times did she file complaints... After work, he would wait for her and the beatings would start again. We feel sorry for the girls - young, beautiful children."
According to people in the neighborhood, the woman lived in constant fear. "It's a good thing the mother wasn't in the house that night. If she had been there, she probably wouldn't be alive either," the man said.
The perpetrator's colleagues also have a hard time accepting what happened. According to them, there were no financial problems. "As far as we know, the family wasn't poor. They had an apartment that they rented out. The house was well-maintained, with sheds, a barbecue and a yard. "Nothing suggested that such a tragedy could happen," says a colleague of the father.
When asked if they had noticed signs of depression or mental breakdown in the man, his colleagues answered negatively.
However, the case was far from unknown to the institutions. Over the past seven years, the family has come into the sights of the police and institutions three times due to reports of domestic violence. Two of them were filed by the mother, and the third by the older daughter. However, all reports were subsequently withdrawn.
The accused of setting his wife on fire in Medovets systematically beat her and their children
It was no secret to the relatives that the father was violent towards his wife. “The reports were filed in 2018, 2019 and 2025. In 2018, the mother filed a report with the police, stating that her husband had a serious addiction and feared that this would not lead to anything good. From today's perspective, it is clear that between the lines she tried to hint at domestic violence, without directly stating it. None of the signals were ignored“, said Prosecutor Todorov.
In 2019, a new signal was filed. Then the court issued an order for immediate protection. “However, when the mother entered the courtroom, she withdrew her testimony. This surprised everyone. The magistrates even interrupted the hearing because they got the impression that the woman was under pressure or fear. Despite this, she categorically stated that she did not want to continue the proceedings“, the prosecutor pointed out.
The third signal was filed in 2025 by the family's eldest daughter via telephone 112. The signal was forwarded to both the police and social services. During subsequent checks, the mother again downplayed what was happening. “She said that her daughter was in puberty, that she was exaggerating and did not understand the situation correctly. "And this signal remained without consequences," Todorov claims.
According to investigators, the girl reported that her father was violent towards her mother.
According to the prosecutor, one of the serious problems is the current procedure in domestic violence cases. "Bulgarian justice is based on the principle of oral testimony. The victim must personally and categorically confirm his allegations in court. Even if the police have collected enough data about the violence committed, if the victim refuses to testify, the possibilities for further action are severely limited," Todorov specifies.
He believes that this is one of the reasons for discussing legislative changes. "There is a huge difference between a person telling about the violence immediately after it happened and having to repeat it later in the courtroom, in the presence of all participants in the process. It is then that fear and a sense of shame often prevail and victims change their testimonies“, the prosecutor claims.
Some of the mother's colleagues were also aware of the problems in the family. At the supermarket in Isperih, where she worked until recently, she often came with visible signs of beating - bruises on her face and body. It got to the point where her brothers accompanied her to work because she feared for her safety. The woman told her colleagues about the violence she experienced. One of the cases she shared was particularly telling - her husband started beating her while she was sleeping. She ended her story with the words: “I feel like living“.
Such behavior is typical of many victims of domestic violence. “In our folk psychology, there is still a feeling that one should not take family problems outside the home. Many people perceive what is happening as a personal failure and feel guilty instead of seeking help“, says the district prosecutor of Razgrad.
According to the investigators and witnesses, everyone at the scene spoke of systematic domestic violence. “Both the perpetrator's grandfather, the mayor, and the people who were there were categorical - there was violence. The woman was beaten repeatedly. She went to work in this condition. Her colleagues asked her what happened. One of the witnesses says that once her head was so swollen that she was hardly recognizable“, says the prosecutor.