What happened in Sveti Križ Začretje?

In a house fire on August 1, 2026, the bodies of a father and two children were found. Investigators suspect murder and suicide.

Was the family in contact with the social welfare system?

According to documentation, the mother was summoned on July 30 for mandatory divorce counseling, and the counseling was held the day before the tragedy, on July 31. This contradicts Minister Ružić's statement that the family had no contact with the system.

Who is conducting the investigation and what has been done so far?

The investigation is under the jurisdiction of the County State Attorney's Office in Zagreb, in cooperation with the Krapina-Zagorje Police Department. An investigation was conducted, and the bodies were sent for autopsy to determine the cause of death.

Where was the mother at the time of the tragedy?

The mother was not in the house at the time of the fire. According to media reports, she had not been living in the house for some time.

Crime

Day Before Tragedy in Začretje, Mandatory Divorce Counseling Was Held

C.K. · Prije 4h | 2 min

A father and two children lost their lives in a house fire in Sveti Križ Začretje. The investigation is ongoing, and it has been revealed that mandatory divorce counseling was held the day before, raising questions about statements made by Minister Alen Ružić.

Summary

A father and two children died in a house fire in Sveti Križ Začretje on August 1, 2026.
The day before the tragedy, on July 31, mandatory divorce counseling was held, attended by both parents.
Minister Alen Ružić claimed the family had no contact with the social welfare system, which the documents contradict.
The DORH ordered an autopsy and is conducting an investigation in cooperation with the police.

The County State Attorney's Office in Zagreb issued a statement on Monday regarding the investigation into the tragic event in Sveti Križ Začretje, where the bodies of a father and two children were found after a house fire. According to the statement, the on-duty deputy county state attorney in Zagreb led the investigation on August 1, 2026, and the bodies were sent for autopsy to the Institute of Forensic Medicine and Criminology.

The investigation was conducted in cooperation with the investigation team, expert services of the Krapina-Zagorje Police Department, and an inspector for fire and explosion protection. The deceased are an adult male born in 1979 and two children born in 2009 and 2011. The DORH emphasized that it cannot provide any other information or details about the case at this time.

Divorce and Mandatory Counseling the Day Before the Tragedy

According to a document obtained by Net.hr, the mother was summoned on July 30, 2026, to mandatory counseling for divorce proceedings at the Regional Office of the Croatian Institute for Social Work in Zabok. The counseling was held the next day, July 31, and was attended by both the deceased father and the mother, who was not in the house at the time of the tragedy.

This information calls into question earlier statements made by Minister of Labor, Pension System, Family, and Social Policy Alen Ružić. The minister claimed that "there was no family-law proceedings" and that "the family had no contact with the social welfare system." The documentation of the counseling suggests otherwise.

Investigation Progress and Suspicions of Murder-Suicide

The Krapina-Zagorje Police Department previously revealed that the bodies were found on the upper floor of the house, while the fire was simultaneously set in several places on the ground floor. Investigators suspect murder and suicide, but the exact cause of death will be known after the completion of the criminal investigation and autopsy.

The DORH confirmed that, in cooperation with the police, it is "conducting further measures and actions within its jurisdiction in order to determine all relevant facts and circumstances of this event."