Five missing women feared dead after images and videos found in Philadelphia home
Police say a trove of disturbing video evidence has been found in the home, though no human remains have been discovered.
Five missing women feared dead after images and videos found in Philadelphia home
At least five women are feared dead in Philadelphia, US, after authorities recovered guns, drugs, fake IDs and disturbing images from a home linked to the case.
Eugene Horsch, 44, and his father lived in the house where Philadelphia police said they uncovered a large cache of digital video and images, some of which showed five women who appeared to be dead.
Investigators said on Wednesday that they are still trying to verify the video evidence and gather more details.
Police said no remains connected to the investigation have been found at the property. Horsch has not been charged with any crime involving the women.
The case began in June, according to the criminal complaint, when a park ranger discovered an illegally parked BMW near Philadelphia's Independence National Historical Park.
Inside the vehicle, the ranger found Horsch and a woman, along with drugs, fake federal law enforcement badges and ammunition. Officers said the woman also carried an ID card in the name of Blair Tonzelli, another Philadelphia woman who has been missing since 2023.
Horsch was arrested, and authorities searched his home. In the basement and concealed spaces, police alleged they found dangerous chemicals, ballistics, a marijuana operation and a 55-gallon drum tied to the house water lines.
Police also recovered more than 1 million digital items, including photos and videos of "lots of people, women, posed in different positions within that house," Philadelphia Police Department Deputy Commissioner of Investigations Frank Vanore said this week.
Among the huge number of images were some of Gabrielle Amarando, 27, and Maribel Fresses, 26, both of whom were reported missing, police said. In some photos, police said, they appear to be alive in the house and then seem to be deceased in other images dating back to 2017.
Homicide detectives also found photos and videos of three more women who they said appeared to be dead. Two have been identified, while the third remains unidentified and is being referred to as a "Jane Doe".
One explicit video appears to show a woman being strangled, allegedly by Horsch's father, Raymond "RC" Horsch, who lived in the house but died last year, police said. They have identified the woman but are not releasing her name.
Police suggested the elder Horsch was behind the making of the videos, but they are still unsure how much of the footage reflects actual crimes.
"Let's remember, he was making movies," Vanore said. "Some of this is play acting, and some of it we believe could be real."
As of Thursday, police said a total of seven missing women have been linked to evidence found in the house in Philadelphia's Olney neighbourhood.
They are Amarando, Fresses, the two unnamed women police have identified, Jane Doe, Tonzelli, whose ID was found in the younger Horsch's car, and Amy McHale, whose family contacted police after learning of the investigation. They said McHale had been married to RC Horsch and later vanished.
Police said the recovered images include 58 people in total, and 25 of them are cooperating with investigators. Another 16 were located by police but are not cooperating.
"They don't really want to talk about what occurred in that house," Vanore said.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) is also involved in the case, working with the Philadelphia Police Department to sift through the digital evidence. Police have reviewed about 30% of the materials.
It remains unclear whether Eugene Horsch is tied to the digital evidence and the missing women. He has not been charged in connection with them, but he remains in federal custody facing felony weapons charges and other drug charges. He has not yet entered a plea.