Federal and local investigators have returned to a Philadelphia home to dig up its backyard as part of an ongoing investigation into a potential serial killer, a case that has already yielded apparent snuff films, ash-filled urns, and evidence connected to at least seven missing women.
Images from the scene show an excavator in the backyard while police in protective gear continue to move in and out of the property. Investigators have set up tents in both the backyard and front of the home and covered portions of the lawn with tarps. Crime scene personnel have been seen wearing various levels of safety equipment, including face masks, hazmat suits, rubber gloves, protective sleeves, and booties. One crime scene investigator was observed wearing what appeared to be a chemical-spraying backpack as she entered the property. A crime scene photographer also came and went on Wednesday.
Yellow police tape surrounds the perimeter of the home, and uniformed officers are standing watch. The scale of the operation has drawn attention from law enforcement experts. Joseph Giacalone, a retired NYPD cold case sergeant and adjunct professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said the number of personnel involved stands out.
«The sheer number of crime scene technicians that are going in and out of this house — usually you try to keep it to a minimum because you don't want people trampling on things and stuff like that,» Giacalone said. «I just think that there's so many different nooks and crannies that they have to cover that they need this many people. So, I mean, we're not talking three or four, we're talking 10, 12, or 14 people going in and out of this place at one time.»
Police have repeatedly visited the home in recent weeks, carrying out boxes of evidence earlier this month, including one marked «glass vials.» A Philadelphia Police Department spokesperson declined to go into specifics about the continued searches Thursday, citing the active and ongoing investigation.
«Investigators continue to examine evidence and pursue all available leads,» she said. «At this time, we are unable to provide specific details regarding investigative activities at the property, any potential findings, or the status of efforts to authenticate the previously recovered images and videos.»
The property belonged to Raymond «RC» Horsch, a producer of BDSM-themed pornography and books who died last year at 82. Police searched his former home after arresting his 44-year-old son Eugene Horsch in June. The younger Horsch was arrested in a car alongside a woman carrying an ID belonging to one of the seven missing women now linked to the investigation.
Earlier searches turned up images and videos that police have said show four of the seven missing women. Investigators also found a drum of chemicals hooked up to the house's water system.
«Investigations predicated on forensic evidence can sometimes result in repeated trips back to a crime scene,» said James Gagliano, a retired FBI supervisory agent. «You find something that initiates a search into a different area. We saw how early release of a crime scene in Tucson led to so many questions. They won't make that mistake here.»
Only some of the women have been publicly identified. Philadelphia police identified Maribel Fresses, 26, who vanished in 2018, and Gabrielle Amarando, 27, earlier in the investigation. During Eugene Horsch's arrest, the woman with him had an ID for Blair Tonzelli, 38, who was last seen in Philadelphia in February 2023, police said in September.
Two other women were identified in local reports. Both are listed as missing persons in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. One is Horsch's ex-wife, Amy McHale, 54, who was 44 when she was last seen on June 13, 2016, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported in June. The other is Nicole «Nikki» Fusaro, 34, according to CBS' Philadelphia affiliate, citing local police sources. She was 27 when she vanished near the intersection of Kensington and Allegheny Avenue in July 2019.
Investigators said they have also identified dozens of other people from the images. However, no arrests have been made as the investigation continues. Police have previously excavated underground pipes, but no bodies have been found. Eugene Horsch's arrest was unrelated to the disturbing discoveries police made at his father's former home, and he has not been charged in connection with the women's disappearances.