THE victim of a fatal stabbing inside his home has been named by his native Bulgarian media.

Newspaper Za Pernik and a number of other sources have named Denis Petkov as the 19-year-old who suffered a single stab wound to the neck, at a property in East Hanningfield Road, Rettendon Common, shortly before midnight on Saturday.

A total of five men were arrested on suspicion of murder, after the 19-year-old man was found seriously injured.

He was given emergency treatment at the scene but sadly died.

Three of the men, aged 24, 30 and 42, have been released without charge and face no further action.

The Bulgarian newspaper said Mr Petkov, who was from Batanovtski, in th in the Pernik province, wrote a humorous social media post about his own death.

A day later he was dead.

Rettendon Common came abuzz with police and forensic teams, after the terraced house where Mr Petkov lived was cordoned off.

Gavin Griffiths, of nearby Salforal Close, said: “I heard the helicopter last night and saw the searchlights, but I just thought it was kids who had stolen a car or something so I just went back to sleep.

“I woke up the next day and saw on social media and my neighbour said a man had been stabbed to death.

“It is quite shocking – every death is shocking no matter where it is.

“But that man was so young – he had barely lived.

“It is very upsetting and very shocking.

“The man had a family who have now lost someone.”

He added the area was usually very quiet so the incident was surprising.

Another resident also described hearing the helicopter and seeing police cars on the scene.

A woman living close-by, who asked not to be named, said: “I saw the searchlights in the garden and they were so bright.

“There were a lot of police cars and the road was all closed.

“It is really shocking - not what you expect at all.”

A forensics team was still carefully at work on Monday.

A spokesman for Essex Police said: “Police would like to offer reassurance that violent crime of this nature in Chelmsford is rare and there is no current risk to the public.

“Officers are conducting a search of the area and enquiries are ongoing.”

Witnesses or anyone with information that could help the investigation should contact DCI Stuart Smith on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. 

The stabbing is not too far from the scene of the infamous Rettendon murders.

On December 6 1995, Rettendon was the scene of the triple murder of Tony Tucker, 38, Patrick Tate, 37, and Craig Rolfe, 26 who were shot dead in a Range Rover down a small farm track.

Two men were later convicted of their murder.