September 16, 2026
Colleen Claggett/for PhillyVoice
Philadelphia police and the FBI are still reviewing over 1 million images seized from the Olney home of Eugene Horsch and his late father Raymond 'R.C.' Horsch.
At least five women appear lifeless in images recovered from an Olney house linked to several missing people, officials said.
Philadelphia police and the FBI are still sifting through over 1 million photographs and videos seized from 417 Chew Ave., the home of the late pornographer Raymond "R.C." Horsch and his son Eugene Horsch. But they have now isolated images in which five women appear to be unconscious. While no bodies have been discovered, investigators believe all the victims are dead.
Those women were previously identified as Maribel Fressess and Gabrielle Amarando. Their names were released at news conference last month, during which police described "real dark" videos of the women where they initially appear alive and, later, presumably deceased. There are at least three other women in the trove of images depicted in similarly disturbing fashion, officials said Wednesday. They have identified two of the women, but declined to disclose their names. Another remains unidentified.
Police described one video with metadata from 2017 that depicts R.C. Horsch with a 27-year-old woman. They are both apparently nude and filmed with two cameras, one controlled by Horsch and the other mounted somewhere else in the room. In the footage, the woman uses narcotics and then receives money from Horsch, who handcuffs her to a bed. He then places a zip-tie around her neck and she "appears to be lifeless," Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore said.
Vanore said the other woman they identified was 25 years old at the time she appeared in the images. He offered no other details on her background.
"The Medical Examiner’s Office has reviewed the images involving the three additional women and advised that, if the images are authentic and have not been altered, the women depicted appear to be deceased," Philadelphia police said in a release Thursday. "...Without physical remains to examine, the Medical Examiner’s Office cannot conclusively determine a cause or manner of death."
The investigation has identified 58 individuals in the pictures and videos, Vanore added, but most of them are still alive. Police have already spoken to 16 people and have interviews scheduled with another 25. Another 10 individuals overdosed, but not at the Chew Avenue house.
Investigators still have not uncovered corroborating evidence that "would prove what we think," Vanore said, and thousands of files have yet to be examined. FBI Special Agent Wayne Jacobs estimated their review is 30% complete.
"The objective here is thoroughness, not simply speed," he said.
The complicated case has been ongoing since June 19, when a U.S. Park Police ranger approached Eugene Horsch, who was parked with a female passenger in a black BMW on Market Street. The ranger discovered two illegal firearms and about $8,000 in illegal drugs in the car. Horsch produced credentials falsely identifying himself as a Drug Enforcement Administration official, investigators say, while the woman showed an ID belonging to a missing person.
This evidence led the DEA, FBI and Philadelphia police to Horsch's home at 417 Chew Ave., where the team found evidence of a drug grow operation, unidentified chemicals, five urns containing ashes and numerous hard drives, flash drives, DVRs, computers and phones with the images currently under review. Eugene Horsch, currently in federal custody on weapons and narcotics charges, has not been linked to any of the pictures or videos at this time.
But his home is now connected with several missing women. Horsch's companion had an ID belonging to Blair Tonzelli, who disappeared in 2023. His father's ex-wife Amy McHale was last seen at the residence before she vanished in 2016. Fressess and Amarando had been missing since 2018 and 2012, respectively. The 27-year-old in the newest video was also reported missing, Vanore said.
Police believe three of the urns contain the remains of R.C. Horsch, his sister and a friend. They have not identified the ashes in the other two vessels.
Officials plan to return to the Olney home in late September to continue searching for evidence. Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel emphasized that law enforcement would be in touch with neighbors before these operations commence, and that there is no threat to the community at this time.
This story has been updated with additional comment from Philadelphia police.
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