A multi-agency search of a dilapidated house in Philadelphia’s Olney neighborhood has yielded new physical evidence as authorities continue examining a property long ᴀssociated with the disappearances of at least seven women. On October 15, 2026, teams working inside and outside the home on West Chew Avenue discovered a concealed safe and recovered bones from the backyard, according to law-enforcement sources.

The residence once belonged to Raymond “R.C.” Horsch, an erotic pH๏τographer, filmmaker, and convicted methamphetamine producer who died in 2025 at the age of 82. His son, Eugene Horsch, currently owns the property and has been held in custody since June on firearms-related charges. Philadelphia police, working with the FBI, began intensively searching the house after Eugene’s arrest and the subsequent discovery of a vast archive of digital material that linked multiple missing women to the address.

While dismantling walls and floorboards, investigators located a hidden safe. Details about its contents have not been released. In the backyard, excavation teams unearthed bones that prompted an immediate response from the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office. Officials initially sought to determine whether the remains were human or animal. Later reporting indicated the bones were identified as animal remains. Soil samples have been taken from various locations and depths across the property as crews methodically work through the backyard and prepare to expand the search to the front of the house.

The digital evidence recovered from the home has proven central to the investigation. Authorities seized more than one million pH๏τographs and videos. Review of that material has connected at least seven missing or unidentified women to the property. Investigators believe five of them are deceased, based on images and footage in which the women appear lifeless or severely injured. Among those named are Gabrielle Amarando, last seen in 2012; Maribel Fresses, last seen in 2018; Nicole Fusaro, also last seen in 2018; Amy McHale, Horsch’s former wife, who disappeared in 2016 after her last known location was reported as the Chew Avenue house; and Blair Tonzelli, missing since 2023.

Earlier searches of the property had already produced other concerning items, including containers of chemicals, a large drum in the basement, writings that referenced serial killers, and additional physical evidence that raised serious questions about what may have occurred inside the house over many years. R.C. Horsch had a documented history of producing explicit content and was known to interact with vulnerable women, particularly those struggling with addiction. He was never charged in connection with any of the disappearances prior to his death. One of five urns recovered from the home is believed to contain his remains.

Eugene Horsch remains detained on the firearms charges while the broader inquiry into the missing women continues. The investigation has drawn national attention as detectives work through the enormous volume of digital files and continue the physical search of the property in an effort to locate remains or other evidence that could explain the fate of the women linked to the house.

As of late October 2026, excavation work is still underway, and the review of the digital archive is ongoing. Families of the missing women continue to await definitive answers.

Sources : New York Post