Police and FBI investigators have returned to excavate the backyard of a Philadelphia home as they pursue a possible serial-killer investigation involving apparent “snuff” films, urns containing ash and evidence connected to at least seven missing women.
Images from the property this week show an excavator operating in the backyard while investigators in protective gear move in and out. Authorities have erected tents in the backyard and near the front of the house, covered sections of the lawn with tarps and used varying levels of protective equipment, including face masks, hazmat suits, rubber gloves, protective sleeves and boot covers.
One crime scene investigator appeared to be carrying a backpack designed to spray chemicals as she entered the property. A crime scene photographer was also seen arriving and leaving Wednesday.
An inset shows four of the seven missing women linked to the Philadelphia home of the late pornographer Raymond “RC” Horsch. (NamUs, Kyle Mazza/CNP for News Outlet)
Yellow police tape surrounds the property, while uniformed officers maintain a watch outside.
Joseph Giacalone, a retired NYPD cold-case sergeant and adjunct professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said the number of personnel involved was particularly notable.
“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,” he told News Outlet. “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.”
WATCH: FBI’s Evidence Response Team continues investigation at the home of Eugene Horsch
Police have made multiple visits to the home in recent weeks. Earlier this month, investigators removed boxes of evidence, including one labeled “glass vials.”
A Philadelphia Police Department spokesperson declined Thursday to discuss the latest searches in detail, citing the active investigation.
FBI agents continue investigating the home of Eugene Horsch in Philadelphia’s Olney section on Wednesday, October 14, 2026. Authorities are examining the property after connecting it to cases involving at least seven missing women. Eugene Horsch is the son of the late Raymond “R.C.” Horsch. (Kyle Mazza/CNP for Fox News)
“Investigators continue to examine evidence and pursue all available leads,” she told News Outlet. “At this time, we are unable to provide specific details regarding investigative activities at the property, any potential findings, or the status of efforts to authenticate the previously recovered images and videos.”
Raymond “RC” Horsch, who produced BDSM-themed pornography and wrote related books, died last year at age 82. Police searched his former residence after arresting his 44-year-old son, Eugene Horsch, in June. The younger Horsch was taken into custody in a vehicle with a woman who was carrying identification belonging to one of the seven missing women now tied to the investigation.
FBI agents continue investigating the home of Eugene Horsch in Philadelphia’s Olney section on Wednesday, October 14, 2026. (Kyle Mazza/CNP for Fox News)
Previous searches uncovered images and videos that police said appear to show four of the seven missing women. Investigators also found a chemical drum connected to the home’s water system.
“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.”
An excavator operates in the backyard of Eugene Horsch’s home in Philadelphia’s Olney section on Wednesday, October 14, 2026. (Kyle Mazza/CNP for Fox News)
Authorities have publicly identified only some of the women. Philadelphia police previously named Maribel Fresses, 26, who disappeared in 2018, and Gabrielle Amarando, 27. At the time of Eugene Horsch’s arrest, the woman with him was carrying identification for Blair Tonzelli, 38, who was last seen in Philadelphia in February 2023, police told News Outlet in September.
Two additional women were identified in local media reports. Both remain listed as missing in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, known as NamUs.
One of them is Horsch’s former wife, Amy McHale, 54. She was 44 when she was last seen on June 13, 2016, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, which reported on the case in June.
The other is Nicole “Nikki” Fusaro, 34, according to CBS’s Philadelphia affiliate, which cited local police sources. Fusaro was 27 when she disappeared near the intersection of Kensington and Allegheny Avenue in July 2019.
FBI agents execute a search warrant at the home of Eugene Horsch on the 400 block of West Chew Avenue in the Olney neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pa., on Monday, July 13, 2026. Multiple law enforcement agencies, including Philadelphia police homicide detectives and the FBI, are conducting an investigation after chemicals, ammunition and drugs were found inside the home in June. The 44-year-old Horsch is in custody on several charges. (Kyle Mazza/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect)
Investigators said they have also identified dozens of other people from the images. However, no arrests have been made as the investigation continues.
Police have previously excavated underground pipes, but no bodies have been found.
Eugene Horsch’s arrest was unrelated to the disturbing discoveries police made at his father’s former home, and he has not been charged in connection with the women’s disappearances.
