When three strangers arrived at the edge of a property in Frostburg, Maryland, its owner was immediately suspicious at the sight of their black clothing and belts filled with ammunition.

The trio asked to camp on the land for a month. Unnerved, the owner called the police, and they were arrested for trespassing. Later, the owner would learn the interlopers were accused by prosecutors of belonging to a cult-like group — the “Zizians” — that has been linked to at least six deaths in three states.