Philadelphia investigators link seven missing women to house of late photographer Raymond Horsch
Police say five of the seven women connected to the property are presumed dead, though no bodies have been recovered, as investigators continue to examine over a million digital files.
Philadelphia police have linked seven women who vanished over a ten-year span to a house once occupied by Raymond “R.C.” Horsch, an 82-year-old photographer of sexually explicit material who died in 2025. The investigation, which began after a federal park ranger discovered a missing-person ID and illegal items in a parked vehicle, has uncovered more than one million images and videos from the home on West Chew Avenue.
Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore said investigators have identified 58 individuals in the recovered material, noting that four appeared lifeless or unconscious and ten others later died of suspected drug overdoses away from the property. Police have located 41 additional people, with sixteen declining or reluctant to be interviewed and detectives seeking to speak with another 25.
Only about 30 % of the digital evidence has been reviewed, leaving hundreds of thousands of files still to be examined. No homicide charges have been filed in connection with the missing women.
The women tied to the house include Blair Tonelli, 35, missing since 2023; Amy McHale, who vanished in 2016 and was previously married to Raymond Horsch; Nicole Fusaro, 27, missing since 2018; Maribel Fresses, 27, also missing since 2018; and Gabrielle Amarando, 22, missing since 2012. Footage recovered by police shows Fusaro, Fresses and Amarando appearing unconscious and injured, leading detectives to conclude they are likely deceased, although no remains or DNA have been found at the property.
Investigators also uncovered firearms, fraudulent federal law-enforcement credentials, drugs, computer equipment, containers of unknown substances and five urns holding cremated remains during searches of the home. A later warrant on June 25 revealed a possible home laboratory with vessels of an oily material.
In a 2017 video, Raymond Horsch is seen nude with a woman; the recording shows the woman using narcotics, receiving money, being handcuffed to a bed and having a zip tie placed around her neck before losing consciousness. Authorities have not determined whether the woman in that footage is among the missing individuals.