A disturbing investigation into possible serial killings could become even more sinister if authorities determine that graphic images found inside the home of a deceased pornography producer were shared with an organized underground audience, a leading police and forensic psychologist said.
Raymond “RC” Horsch, 82, created pornography and books centered on violent themes before his death last year. The case took a troubling turn in June, when his 44-year-old son, Eugene Horsch, was arrested on allegations involving illegal firearms and forgery. During searches of the family’s home on Chew Avenue in Philadelphia’s Olney neighborhood, investigators reported finding a series of deeply disturbing items.
Investigators may also find that so-called snuff films were distributed through underground networks serving people interested in that material.
Law enforcement officers and utility crews excavate and collect items into containers at the home of 44-year-old Eugene Horsch on the 400 block of West Chew Avenue in the Olney neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pa., on Wednesday, July 22, 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. Horsch is in custody on several charges. The home has been the center of an ongoing drugs and weapons investigation that began in June when Horsch was arrested in Center City for drugs and weapons, and has since expanded to involve at least two missing persons cases. (Sipa USA via AP)
Among the evidence allegedly recovered were videos described as “snuff” footage that investigators believe may show several missing women, along with a barrel of chemicals connected to the home’s water system.
Dr. Kris Mohandie, a board-certified forensic psychologist, said the family’s history in pornography could point to a possible financial motive beyond the sadistic behavior often associated with serial murder. He suggested the images may have been created for profit and circulated as so-called snuff films.
An FBI agent removed an autoclave from the home of Eugene Horsch during a raid on the 400 block of West Chew Avenue in Philadelphia’s Olney neighborhood on Monday, July 13, 2026. The FBI and Philadelphia police homicide detectives are investigating after chemicals, ammunition and drugs were found in the home in June. Horsch, 44, is in custody on several charges. (Kyle Mazza/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect)
Police have connected the Olney property to investigations involving seven missing women. At least five of those women are believed to have died, although authorities had not filed homicide charges as of Friday.
RC Horsch was a convicted methamphetamine producer who also wrote sexually explicit books featuring violence. His 2014 novel “Empathy” includes a passage describing the use of boiling chemicals to dissolve the body of a murdered woman.
Amazon and Goodreads removed the book from their listings on Friday.
FBI agents removed evidence from the home of Eugene Horsch during a raid on the 400 block of West Chew Avenue in Philadelphia’s Olney neighborhood on Monday, July 13, 2026. Multiple law enforcement agencies, including Philadelphia police homicide detectives and the FBI, are investigating after chemicals, ammunition and drugs were found in the home in June. Horsch, 44, is in custody on several charges. (Kyle Mazza/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect)
Philadelphia police say they recovered more than one million digital files, including photographs and videos, from the house. Investigators had examined fewer than one-third of those files by Friday, but they reportedly recognized four of the missing women in the material reviewed so far.
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. It is the third time the FBI has returned to the property to search for evidence. (Kyle Mazza/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect)
Authorities have publicly named two of the women: Gabrielle Amarando and Maribel Fresses.
Forensic psychologist Kris Mohandie said the video evidence raised especially serious concerns.
Law enforcement officers and utility crews excavate at the home of Eugene Horsch on the 400 block of West Chew Avenue in the Olney neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pa., on Thursday, July 23, 2026. Multiple law enforcement agencies, including Philadelphia police homicide detectives and the FBI, are investigating 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)
Mohandie said the apparent abduction, sexual assault, torture and other alleged crimes could represent only part of the investigation. He said authorities must also determine whether the material was supplied to underground groups seeking violent “snuff” content, calling that possibility frightening and expressing hope that investigators can answer those questions.
When Eugene Horsch was arrested in the spring, prosecutors alleged that a woman who was with him possessed identification belonging to one of the missing women.
R.C. Horsch seen in a 1999 mugshot. (S. E. Stokowski/Wikimedia Creative Commons)
Search crews have also examined the area around and beneath the property, including nearby sewer lines, as investigators continue looking for evidence.
The younger Horsch has not been charged in connection with the missing women.
Law enforcement officers and utility crews excavate at the home of Eugene Horsch for a second time on the 400 block of West Chew Avenue in the Olney neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pa., on Thursday, July 23, 2026. Philadelphia police homicide detectives and the FBI are investigating after chemicals, ammunition and drugs were found inside the home in June. Horsch, 44, is in custody on several charges. (Kyle Mazza/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect)
The investigation remains ongoing.
