Investigators are combing through sewer lines beneath a rundown Philadelphia “house of horrors” tied to at least two missing women, searching for potential DNA evidence and chemicals that may have been used to break down human remains, sources said.
The subterranean search is unfolding as the FBI and Philadelphia police examine convicted felon Eugene Horsch’s alleged links to the missing women, following the discovery of hazardous chemicals, guns and drugs inside his deteriorating three-story home in Olney.
Inside the property, officers found what Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner of Investigations Frank Vanore described as a “strange setup,” including at least one 55-gallon drum hooked up to a water line.
That unusual apparatus led investigators to call in the local water department on Monday to help inspect the sewer system beneath the Chew Avenue residence, as authorities work to determine how Horsch may have been using the equipment, sources said.
Search teams are now looking for possible DNA traces, chemicals capable of dissolving bodies, and any signs that the site may have been used as a drug lab, the sources added.
Authorities also found a disturbing handwritten note that referred to “a drum set up” and included an apparent threat, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
“Acting on emotion is where problems occur. What I don’t think I told you was that the first time it was planned ahead of time. The threat was made before you know who came over, and I already had a 2ft zip tie in my pocket and a drum set up,” the letter obtained by the publication stated.
“I had been ready and waiting, and I damn sure showed no hesitation. And it was fun,” the note continued.
Vanore told reporters at a press conference on Monday that the FBI evidence collection team and the Philadelphia Police Forensic Science Bureau collected the trove of hazardous chemicals from the home, along with other evidence, for examination.
The materials have been brought to a laboratory for further testing, and the house has been deemed safe.
“When it goes to DNA, things like that, it’s going to take time. So when they give it back, we’ll move on it, we’ll start the investigative process,” Vanore said, noting investigators have begun interviewing people in connection with the case.
“We have a lot that we’re doing. We’re holding the house still just because we don’t want to have to get another warrant to re-enter … There’s no danger there. The danger is removed, everything has been deemed safe. We’re just there guarding in case we have to reenter and look at evidence again,” he added.
No evidence of human remains has been found to date, other than several urns inside the home, Vanore noted.
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An investigation into Horsch began when a US park ranger overheard an argument between the 44-year-old and his girlfriend in a parked car near Independence Hall in Old City on June 19, police said.
After the girlfriend was heard saying, “You’re going to hurt me,” the ranger decided to check on the couple and informed other law enforcement agencies who came to the scene.
Authorities then discovered that Horsch was allegedly carrying a fake Drug Enforcement Administration badge, a switchblade, and two guns with “obliterated serial numbers,” Vanore told reporters on Friday.
Horsch’s girlfriend also had a fake ID with her photo on it — but with the name of a woman who had been reported missing.
The woman whose name was on the fake ID was reported missing in February 2023 from the Kensington area, sources told the Inquirer. Cops have not yet publicly identified her.
The girlfriend later told police that Horsch had given her the ID to use because she had outstanding arrest warrants. Though she didn’t know the missing woman, she thought something bad may have happened to her, the local outlet reported.
Investigators were then led to the convicted felon’s house, where they found the vast array of strange, concerning items, including 120 pieces of ballistics evidence, narcotics, and the disturbing unsigned letter, which also mentioned serial killer Ted Bundy.
Police are still determining who wrote the letter or whether it was an act of fiction.
Horsch was cuffed on firearms and drug charges while the investigation remains ongoing. His lawyer said the chemicals, note and other disturbing findings belonged to his late father.
The case sparked concern among the family of Philadelphia mom Amy McHale, who said their last contact with her was a June 13, 2016, voicemail she left for her mother, attempting to reassure her that she was safe and at the Olney home — which then belonged to her ex-husband and Eugene’s father, Raymond Charles “R.C.” Horsch.
The elder Horsch, who died in 2025 with a rap sheet including drug manufacturing and forgery, was a smut peddler whose medium of choice was filming and photographing “scantily clad women in sadomasochistic settings.”
He reportedly preyed on women struggling with addiction, like McHale, who was decades younger.
“My mom wouldn’t just go missing,” Amy’s daughter, Amanda Stofer, told CBS News, noting that she was a caring and involved parent despite her problems.
The Philadelphia Police Department and Philadelphia Water Department did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for further comment.
