Police and FBI resume excavation at former RC Horsch home in Philadelphia
Authorities are conducting a second excavation of the backyard at the former residence of the late RC Horsch as part of a probe into the disappearances of at least seven women.
Police and the FBI returned to the backyard of a former Philadelphia home this week to continue a forensic investigation linked to the disappearances of multiple women. Excavators worked on the property while investigators set up tents and covered portions of the lawn with tarps. Officers and crime-scene personnel wore protective equipment, including hazmat suits, face masks, gloves and booties, and a hazmat crew removed glass vials and other items from the site.
"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," said Joseph Giacalone, a retired NYPD cold-case sergeant and adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. "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."
A Philadelphia Police Department spokesperson declined to provide details about the ongoing search, stating that investigators are continuing to examine evidence and pursue leads but could not comment on specific findings or the status of image and video authentication.
Raymond "RC" Horsch, an 82-year-old producer of BDSM-themed adult content, died last year. His son, Eugene Horsch, was arrested in June after police found a woman in his car carrying identification belonging to one of the missing women. Earlier searches of the home uncovered images and videos that police say depict four of the missing women, as well as a drum of chemicals connected to the house’s water system.
Identified victims include Maribel Fresses, 26, who vanished in 2018, and Gabrielle Amarando, 27, who was named earlier in the investigation. Additional missing persons linked to the case are Blair Tonzelli, 38; Amy McHale, 54 (Horsch’s ex-wife); and Nicole "Nikki" Fusaro, 34. Authorities have also identified dozens of other individuals in the recovered images, but no further arrests have been made.
"Investigations predicated on forensic evidence can sometimes result in repeated trips back to a crime scene," said James Gagliano, a retired FBI supervisory agent and Fox News contributor. "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."
To date, excavations of underground pipes at the property have not yielded any bodies, and Eugene Horsch has not been charged in connection with the women’s disappearances.