Investigators are trying to piece together a puzzle over how four young men, in their 20s, ended up dead on the roadside next to their car in western Turkey. All but one among the victims was shot in the head while the fourth victim died of a broken neck. A non-automatic hunting rifle was found at the scene in the Ahmetli district of the western province of Manisa.

Gendarmerie squads scoured the area for evidence with sniff dogs and drones on Monday after the bodies were found late Sunday by a villager passing by the scene. The bodies of four men, Serkan and Ümit Zangal, Muharrem Zengin and Neşet Dalgın were handed over to their families after an autopsy.

Samet Keskin, the brother-in-law of Serkan Zangal, said the victims were close friends and he personally knew each of them. Keskin told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Monday that all were "good boys." "Muharrem and Serkan were classmates from university. Ümit was a cousin of Serkan and Neşet knew each of them," he said. "I don’t know who did this, whether they had an enemy. I don’t think they or one among them killed others, I don’t think it was a suicide pact. All we know is they were on their way to a ceremony to see off a friend to the military that night," he said.

He noted that the rifle found at the scene was not fit for shooting all three at the same time as it needed slow reloading after the first shot. Investigators say the rifle belonged to Muharrem Zengin's father. The four friends had told their families that they would spend the night at the cabin owned by Zengin's father, hours before they were found dead.

Muharrem Zengin, the grandfather of the victim bearing his name, told reporters at the scene that he last saw him Saturday and he was "very cheerful."