EUROPE’S WACO

Forty-eight people, including at least three children, were found dead in two Swiss villages this morning, the victims of mass suicide or murder. All were Swiss, French or Canadian citizens who appeared to be members of a cult called the Cross and the Rose. Swiss authorities say the group may be linked to another cult in Canada. The leader of both appears to be Luc Jouret, a charismatic, handsome doctor who has been big on the new-age lecture circuit in Geneva over the past two years, according to TIME Switzerland reporter Robert Kroon. Investigators are still trying to determine the whereabouts of the doctor.