In Bucharest’s recent history, few events have shaken public opinion as profoundly as the triple murder that took place on Miniș Street in the summer of 1997. What seemed to be just another apartment in a block of flats in the Titan neighborhood suddenly turned into a place of terror, nicknamed by the press “The House of Horrors.” 

A crime that shattered the peace of an ordinary neighborhood

The crime scene discovered by investigators on that scorching June day would remain etched in collective memory as one of the most disturbing and mysterious murders of post-revolutionary Romania. 

Until then, Miniș Street had been known only for its quiet atmosphere, its proximity to parks, and its ordinary neighborhood life. But on June 19, 1997, Bucharest was thrust into a grim story, one that seemed ripped straight out of a horror film.

The gruesome discovery

It all started with an apparently banal detail. Neighbors of a ground-floor apartment called the authorities because of the foul stench seeping out of the flat. Police officers who arrived at the scene had no idea that, once they opened the door, they would step into a nightmare.

Inside the four-room apartment, forensic investigators discovered three lifeless bodies in an advanced state of decomposition, mutilated and crawling with maggots.

Two men and one woman had met a horrific end. The marks of extreme violence showed they had been struck with a cleaver in a way the investigators deemed not only brutal but almost ritualistic. Each body had been placed in a separate room, adding to the sense that the scene had been staged with disturbing precision.

Another detail that caught attention was that the victims appeared to have been attacked while asleep, struck in the head and then mutilated. Later, their faces had been covered with pillows or blankets – a gesture interpreted either as a sign of regret or as an attempt to hide the brutality of the act.

An apartment in ruins

The state of the apartment deepened the mystery. All the faucets had been left running, and caustic soda had been scattered throughout the rooms, likely in an attempt to destroy biological traces or fingerprints.

There were no signs that the door had been forced, suggesting the victims had allowed their killer inside. This pointed strongly to the idea that the perpetrator was someone they knew.

The scene left a permanent mark on the investigators, some later admitting they had never encountered a case so disturbing, visually and emotionally, throughout their careers.

The party before the tragedy

To understand the context, investigators reconstructed the victims’ final days. On June 15, 1997, the Vasiliu brothers had hosted a party in the apartment to celebrate Dorin’s birthday. Relatives, friends, and neighbors attended.

The main topic of conversation was the sale of the apartment, for which they had received an offer of 108 million lei – a significant sum at the time. The prospect of the deal sparked heated arguments among the brothers, especially between Nicu and Petrică, who disagreed about how the money should be divided.

The party ended late in the evening, around 11 p.m. Only the brothers’ mother, along with Dorin and Petrică, remained in the apartment. Investigators believe the triple murder happened that night or in the early hours of the following morning.

The main suspect: Petrică

From the very beginning, suspicion fell on Petrică, who had a shady past. He had previously served time for failing to pay a fine and, during his incarceration, had become acquainted with dangerous individuals.

When the bodies were discovered, Nicu could not recognize Petrică because his face was so badly mutilated and decomposed. The authorities initially assumed Petrică was still alive and even placed him on the national wanted list.

Only after fingerprint analysis did they realize that one of the corpses was indeed his. The theory of a murder-suicide carried out in ritualistic fashion was therefore dismissed.

Dead ends and dark theories

As the investigation progressed, it grew more complicated. One lead pointed to Petrică’s dangerous acquaintances, men who might have learned about the large sum expected from the apartment sale. 

Having gained the family’s trust, they could have been admitted into the home without suspicion, only to carry out the murders.

The fact that the door had not been forced seemed to support this scenario.

Another unsettling element was the act of covering the victims’ faces. Criminal psychologists suggested this indicated that the killer personally knew the victims and could not bear to look at them afterward. Yet, without solid evidence, it remained speculation.

An investigation without an ending

Over the years, many scenarios were considered, but none were proven. The absence of witnesses, the destruction of evidence with caustic soda, and the lack of conclusive DNA samples meant the case went nowhere.

By June 2012, with the expiration of the 15-year statute of limitations, the case was officially closed. The triple murder on Miniș Street was placed forever in Romania’s archive of unsolved crimes.

The House of Horrors

In the aftermath, the apartment was shunned by neighbors and potential tenants alike. The press dubbed it “The House of Horrors of Titan,” and its dark reputation only grew over time.

Some locals admitted they avoided walking past the door, while others, more superstitious, spoke of strange sounds or eerie sensations near the flat. The apartment became not only a symbol of an unsolved crime but also a space haunted by fear – an open wound in the memory of the community.

Theories and urban legends

With no official resolution, the case fed the imagination of the public. Online and in groups dedicated to cold cases, countless theories circulate. 

Some argue the killer must have been a close acquaintance of the family, perhaps even someone present at the June 15 party. Others believe an organized group, lured by the money, was behind the massacre.

More far-fetched theories suggest a ritual killing or even the work of a serial killer testing his methods in Bucharest. While these scenarios are more fantasy than fact, they highlight how deeply the story of the “House of Horrors” has embedded itself in collective memory.

Remembering a trauma

More than a quarter of a century later, the mystery remains unsolved. To this day, no one knows who committed the murders or why. If the killer is still alive, he carries a burden too heavy to bear; if he is dead, the truth has been buried with him.

One thing is certain: Miniș Street still bears the stigma of that crime. The apartment remains a symbol of darkness, of justice left undone, and of shadows from the past that refuse to fade.

We also recommend: The First Miss Romania, Poisoned at 27 by a Jealous Maid. The Story of the Beautiful Tita Cristescu