Police had entered the Philadelphia home now at the center of multiple death investigations before, but noted the property looked “different” when detectives returned earlier this summer.
During an unrelated news conference on Monday, Deputy Commissioner of Investigations Frank Vanore said narcotics detectives had previously visited the West Chew Avenue home as part of a drug investigation. The exact timing of the search was not clear and the differences are unknown. However, Eugene Horsch, 44, the home’s current owner, faced drug-related charges last year.
Documents filed in May 2025 that the NBC10 Investigators obtained said Eugene Horsch possessed “marijuana and amphetamines” at the property. Police also said Eugene Horsch was found with a gun that had an “obliterated serial number.”
“Narcotics had served the warrant and been inside that house previous to this incident,” Vanore said. “That wasn’t the first time we were there. It didn’t look like it looked when we went in. It was different.”
Police are continuing to sift through thousands of photos and videos in what they have called “dark and graphic” evidence in connection to a house in Philadelphia’s Olney neighborhood. NBC10 investigative reporter David Charns has more.
Eugene Horsch later took a plea deal where he was sentenced to three years’ probation, records said.
On Wednesday, Aug. 12, police announced video evidence recovered from a hard drive located inside the home led investigators to believe two missing women, Maribel Fresses and Gabrielle Amarando, are no longer alive. Fresses was last seen in 2018, while Amarando disappeared in 2012.
As of Tuesday, detectives continued poring through hundreds of thousands of video files and other images.
The home first came under public scrutiny in June after police and federal agents searched the property following Eugene Horsch’s June arrest. During that arrest, police said a woman accompanying him provided officers with an identification card belonging to another missing woman, Blair Tonzelli, who disappeared in 2023.
The FBI, DEA and Philadelphia police raided the home in late June following the arrest.
Investigators discovered “a lot of ammo and some narcotics,” along with a 55-gallon drum during the June search, Philadelphia police said. Investigators also found evidence suggesting an attempt to grow or produce narcotics.
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The FBI, DEA and Philadelphia police raided the home in late June following the arrest.
Among the items seized was a piece of writing about serial killer Ted Bundy that referenced zip ties and a drum, a source familiar with the investigation told NBC10.
The note also mentioned killings and “trash that needs to go.” It was not clear who wrote the note. Officials also said they located fake federal credentials in Eugene Horsch’s name.
A federal grand jury later indicted Eugene Horsch on charges connected to his initial arrest and the raid, including possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of an unlawfully produced document and authentication feature, as the NBC10 Investigators first reported.
The NBC10 Investigators have also confirmed that Horsch’s father, Ray “R.C.” Horsch, who died in 2025, was married to Amy McHale, who disappeared in 2016. The elder Horsch produced snuff films and wrote erotic books with sadomasochistic themes. The changes to the home may have followed Ray Horsch’s death the same year as the narcotics search.
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Photos of Gabrielle Amarando, Amy McHale and Maribel Fresses.
An attorney for Eugene Horsch has declined to comment on the grand jury indictment. He previously said many of the items discovered in the home belonged to Ray Horsch.
Sources tell the NBC10 Investigators that authorities found what appeared to be fake blood during the search of the home, but no human remains. Last month, investigators excavated pipes at the property but did not find anything substantial, sources said.
A fire also burned at the property in 2025, damaging the second floor. Eugene Horsch’s attorney has also previously said his client had no knowledge of what his father may have left in the basement.
Eugene Horsch remains in custody on federal charges connected to firearms and phony federal credentials. He has not been charged in connection with any of the missing women or any death investigation. A jury trial in the federal case was scheduled for Sept. 8.
Police are expected to continue searching the property as investigators look for additional evidence that could help explain what happened to the four missing women.
Anyone with information can call Philadelphia police at 215-686-TIPS (8477). To speak directly with a homicide investigator, call 215-686-3334.
NBC10 investigative reporter David Charns can be reached at david.charns@nbcuni.com.