Philadelphia authorities say images and video recovered from a Chew Avenue home appear to link five missing women to the property. Investigators have identified 58 people so far while reviewing more than 1 million digital files and say two missing women—Gabrielle Amarando (missing 2012) and Maribel Fresses (missing 2018)—appear in 2017-era material showing them unconscious. No bodies or DNA have yet tied the women to the house; the FBI is assisting and police say thousands of videos still require review.
Philadelphia Probe Links Five Missing Women to Chew Avenue Home; Police Review Over 1 Million Files
Gabriella Amarando, left, and Maribel Fresses in undated recent photographs.
Warning: This article contains graphic descriptions that may disturb some readers.
Philadelphia police say images and video recovered from a house on Chew Avenue in the Olney neighborhood appear to show five missing women unconscious or lifeless, prompting an active and wide-ranging criminal investigation.
Investigation Overview
Authorities have identified 58 people so far in digital material seized from the property and are still reviewing more than 1 million files. The residence has been linked to Eugene Horsch and his late father, Raymond "R.C." Horsch. Officials stressed they are not classifying the probe as a serial-killer investigation at this stage.
Missing Women Appearing in Recovered Material
Among the missing people connected to the evidence are Gabrielle Amarando, who vanished in 2012 at age 22, and Maribel Fresses, last seen in 2018 at age 27. Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore said images from a hard drive with metadata dated to 2017 show both women inside the home appearing unconscious and displaying what appear to be injuries. Families were notified when those files were first identified, and neither woman has been located.
Vanore emphasized investigators have not recovered bodies, DNA, or other physical evidence tying Amarando or Fresses to the property.
Video Footage Under Review
Police described a 2017-era video involving Raymond "R.C." Horsch in which Horsch and an unidentified woman are unclothed in a bedroom. Investigators say the woman appears to use narcotics, receives money from Horsch, is handcuffed to a bed and later becomes unresponsive after a zip tie is placed around her neck. Detectives said no body has been recovered and they are still seeking corroborating evidence to determine whether the woman died.
Eugene Horsch mugshot, courtesy of the Philadelphia Police Department.
Investigators also cautioned that some recovered footage appears to include scenes from commercial films or staged encounters, complicating efforts to distinguish reenactment from actual criminal conduct. "Some of this is play acting, and some of it we believe could be real," Vanore said. "We're not there yet."
Scope Of Digital Evidence And Interviews
The FBI, assisting the Philadelphia Police Department, described the seizure as an "exceptionally large and diverse amount of material." Officials say roughly 30% of the more than one million digital files have been reviewed. Of the 58 people identified so far, police said four appear lifeless in footage, ten later overdosed and were found elsewhere in Philadelphia, and 25 appear in the material alive in various states but with unclear contexts.
Authorities have interviewed 16 people connected to the material; investigators said many have been largely uncooperative. Police warned that "thousands and thousands" of videos still need to be reviewed as they work to corroborate what appears on camera.
Searches, Arrests And Evidence Found
Eugene Horsch, 44, was arrested on June 19 after being found parked in a spot reserved for law-enforcement vehicles near Independence National Historical Park. Officers said they found nearly $10,000 in drugs, an illegal firearm and fake credentials that Horsch used to claim he worked as a federal agent. The woman with him presented a false ID that investigators say used the name of Blair Tonzelli, who went missing in 2023. Court records reportedly quote Horsch as saying Tonzelli would "never be seen again."
Those events triggered searches of the Chew Avenue home. Officers recovered another illegal firearm, a marijuana grow operation, computer parts, a makeshift laboratory with an oily substance, five full urns and additional fake law-enforcement credentials. Authorities believe one urn contains the remains of R.C. Horsch, another contains the remains of his sister and a third the remains of a friend; the contents of the remaining two urns have not been identified.
What Officials Say
"At the center of this investigation are the victims and the families who deserve answers," FBI Philadelphia Special Agent in Charge Wayne Jacobs said. Police reiterated that the investigation is ongoing and stressed there is no current threat to the community.
Police continue to seek corroborating physical evidence, including DNA or recovered remains, that would confirm what appears in the recovered images and video. Additional searches and investigative operations in the neighborhood are expected in the coming weeks.
Reporting note: The investigation is active and developments may change as more digital files are reviewed and additional evidence is collected.
Help us improve.
