Five women linked to a Philadelphia “house of horrors” are believed to have died, while two others are still unaccounted for, according to investigators.
Authorities have been searching the property for human remains and other evidence connected to suspected serial killer Raymond “RC” Horsch, who died last year at 82.
During the investigation, officers reviewed more than 1 million photos and videos recovered from the home. The material showed women in a range of poses and led police to identify 58 alleged victims, Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore said Wednesday.
Sources familiar with the case told CBS News that five women appear to be dead or unconscious in the footage. They include Gabrielle Amarando, Maribel Fresses and Nicole Fusaro.
Horsch’s former wife, Amy McHale, and Blair Tonzelli are among those who remain missing.
Ten other women reportedly overdosed after appearing in the recordings and were later found at different locations around Philadelphia. Investigators also located 16 alleged victims alive, but officials said they were “not very cooperative” and did not want to discuss what may have happened inside the house. Three others declined to speak with police.
Authorities are continuing efforts to locate and interview the 25 additional alleged victims identified in the disturbing images and videos.
Police reviewed more than 1 million photos and videos recovered from the Philadelphia property, many showing women in different poses
The property was linked to suspected serial killer Raymond “RC” Horsch, who died last year at 82
The case began unfolding in June 2026, when Philadelphia police stopped Horsch’s 44-year-old son, Eugene, near Independence Mall.
Officers grew suspicious after a woman traveling with Eugene presented identification belonging to Blair Tonzelli, a 35-year-old woman who had been missing since 2023.
Police also found two handguns and more than $8,000 worth of illegal drugs inside the vehicle before taking Eugene in for questioning.
According to investigators, Eugene allegedly told them Tonzelli would “never be seen again.” That statement prompted authorities to obtain search warrants for the Olney home once owned by his father, a notorious pornographer.
During an initial search on June 20, police said they discovered at least one more illegal firearm, a fake FBI badge, a marijuana-growing operation and five urns containing cremated remains.
A second search, conducted on June 25, uncovered more than 50 hard drives containing over 600,000 images, 70,000 videos and 10,000 written documents and drawings, investigators said.
In August, investigators announced that video evidence collected from a hard drive in Horsch’s home led police to believe Amarando, who disappeared in 2012 at age 22, and Fresses, who vanished in 2018 at age 27, are dead.
In August, investigators announced that video evidence collected from a hard drive in Horsch’s home led police to believe Gabrielle Amarando (left), who disappeared in 2021 at age 22, and Maribel Fresses (right), who vanished in 2018 at age 27, are deceased
Other footage collected from the house reportedly showed Horsch strangling Nicole Fusaro, who disappeared in 2018 at the age of 27
Opening up about the discovery on Wednesday, Vanore said the images and video collected from the house show Fresses and Amarando lying unconscious with injuries to their bodies. Those files were dated 2017.
But neither of their bodies have been found and no other traces of DNA connected to either woman has been located.
In another set of videos dated to 2017, a woman is seen with RC Horsch while both of them are nude, Vanore said.
The woman could be seen in the footage appearing to use narcotics before Horsch hands her money, ties her to a bed with handcuffs and places a zip tie around her neck. She then appears to lose consciousness, but Vanore said it was unclear whether she died.
The deputy commissioner would not identify the woman in the video, but sources told ABC News it is Fusaro, who disappeared in 2018 at the age of 27.
The investigation into Horsch began in June 2026, when police pulled over his son, Eugene, 44, near Independence Mall in Philadelphia
A woman in the car with Eugene gave identification for missing 35-year-old Blair Tonzelli, who disappeared in 2023. She is still considered missing as is Amy McHale, Horsch’s ex-wife
Horsch was known for publishing horrific snuff films and writing erotic, sadomasochistic books.
The investigation has also prompted police to reexamine the disappearance of Amy McHale, Horsch’s former wife, who also disappeared in June 2016 at age 44.
McHale was last seen at the Olney property in 2016 and appeared in Horsch’s films, photographs and music videos.
Horsch had a reputation for creating violent pornography, and he also wrote books featuring serial killers who preyed on women.
His son Eugene has not been charged with any crimes in connection with the missing women, and remains in federal custody on charges related to illegal gun possession.
Law enforcement officers and utility crews are seen excavating at the home in July
Investigators are now awaiting the results of testing on chemicals discovered in the basement of the property
Meanwhile, officials say they have only reviewed about 30 percent of the digital evidence – and still have hundreds of thousands of files left to examine.
Investigators are also awaiting the results of testing on chemicals discovered in the basement of the property, trying to determine whether they could have been used to destroy evidence or dissolve human remains, according to NBC Philadelphia.
Authorities are also planning to return to the property later this month to carry out another search warrant.
‘The objective here is thoroughness, not simply speed,’ said Special Agent in Charge Wayne Jacobs of FBI Philadelphia.
‘We need to ensure that we do not overlook something that could help identify a victim, establish what occurred, provide an answer to a family that has been looking for one.’
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel also said investigators remain committed to finding those answers.
‘We have a duty,’ he said. ‘We have a duty to those families who are all concerned about whether their loved one lost their lives in that house or maybe somewhere else.’
Anyone with information is asked to contact Philadelphia police.
