Bones, other clues uncovered at pornographic filmmakers' 'house of horrors' linked to missing women
Investigators searching the Philadelphia “house of horrors” that belonged to a pornographic filmmaker and suspected serial killer have discovered bones in the backyard as FBI agents. Detectives continue searching for evidence related to at least seven women.
Authorities found the bones in the backyard, but additional testing is needed to determine if they are related to the ongoing investigation, sources told CBS News Philadelphia on Thursday. The sources said it is unclear at this time if the bones belong to a human or an animal.
In addition to the bones, a source confirmed on Friday that investigators recovered documents from a hidden safe they found in the house wall.
The house, on West Chew Avenue in Philadelphia’s Olney neighborhood, is at the center of an investigation into the dissapearence of at least seven women, some of whom authorities suspect may be dead.
FBI agents and homicide detectives have been searching the property for possible human remains, and investigators plan to dig up the front yard once they are finished with the backyard.
Sources told the news outlet the search inside the home will last at least until the middle of next week.
Authorities are also examining human DNA recovered from inside the home, according to NBC10.
Investigators believe five of the women are dead, according to CBS News Philadelphia.
Philadelphia police and the FBI used luminol inside the house last week to search for human blood. Law enforcement sources confirmed last Tuesday that the human DNA found there is undergoing further testing.
Last week, investigators used heavy equipment to dig up the backyard in search of human remains. Homicide detectives worked with FBI agents from Quantico, Virginia, to process the property, CBS News Philadelphia reported.
During the dig, investigators searched an area where a shed once stood and found numerous animal carcasses.
The property belonged to Raymond “R.C.” Horsch, who died in 2025 at age 82. Horsch was a pornographic filmmaker, photographer and self-published author. Law enforcement sources have described him as a suspected serial killer.
One of Horsch’s books, Empathy: The Autobiography of a Caring, Compassionate, Empathetic Serial Killer, describes the murder of a woman named Krista. In one chapter, Horsch writes about using a plumbing chemical to decompose the woman’s body in a tub before disposing of her remains in a storm drain.
Horsch claimed the book was a work of fiction.
The women identified as having ties to the home include Blair Tonzelli, Nicole Fusaro, Maribel Fresses, Gabrielle Amarando and Amy McHale.
Amarando disappeared in September 2012. McHale, Raymond Horsch’s former wife, disappeared in 2016. Fresses was last seen in February 2018, and Fusaro has been missing since 2018. Tonzelli was reported missing in 2023.
In August, Philadelphia police said they had recovered what they described as “graphic and dark” evidence suggesting that Fresses and Amarando had died. Authorities have not publicly explained the circumstances of the women’s disappearances.
The investigation began in June, when Raymond Horsch’s son, Eugene Horsch, was arrested after an encounter with a park ranger near Independence Hall. The ranger reportedly heard a woman in Eugene Horsch’s vehicle say, “You’re going to hurt me.”
Police then found firearms, drugs and fake federal law enforcement credentials.
The woman with Eugene Horsch was carrying Tonzelli’s identification. That discovery led investigators to the Chew Avenue property.
Eugene Horsch remains in custody on drug and weapons charges. He has not been charged in connection with the missing women, and his attorney has declined to say whether he has spoken with investigators.
The investigation has also prompted a woman identified only as Jane Doe to speak publicly about an encounter with Raymond Horsch and his son.
In an interview published earlier this month by CBS News Philadelphia, the woman recalled visiting the Chew Avenue home about five years ago after Eugene Horsch approached her at a bus stop.
She said she was asked whether she wanted to be paid to take photographs. During her visit, the woman reportedly saw a bedroom with an old metal-framed bed and handcuffs hanging from its side.
She also said she grew increasingly uncomfortable as Raymond Horsch asked about her family, her drug use and the people she spent time with.
Jane Doe said that watching news coverage of the search for human remains and clues at the property made her feel fortunate to have left the house.
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
