{"id":302094,"date":"2026-10-08T04:14:07","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T04:14:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/302094\/"},"modified":"2026-10-08T04:14:07","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T04:14:07","slug":"forensic-psychologist-examines-r-c-horsch-book-that-may-hold-clues-in-philadelphia-missing-women-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/302094\/","title":{"rendered":"Forensic psychologist examines R.C. Horsch book that may hold clues in Philadelphia missing women case"},"content":{"rendered":"

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — The investigation into Raymond “R.C.” Horsch<\/a> and his son has centered on a second search of their Olney home<\/a> this week, as investigators analyze more than 1 million digital images recovered in the case.<\/p>\n

Attention has also turned to a book written by Horsch, titled ‘Empathy:<\/a> The Autobiography of a Caring, Compassionate, Empathetic Serial Killer.’<\/p>\n

Horsch said the work is fictional. However, a forensic psychologist who studies the writings of serial killers said the book could provide investigators with clues and circumstantial evidence.<\/p>\n

RELATED | Police review writings linked to ‘R.C.’ Horsch as part of missing women investigation in Olney<\/a><\/p>\n

Police are reviewing thousands of pages of writings, manuscripts and drawings by Raymond ‘R.C.’ Horsch as part of an ongoing investigation, authorities said.<\/p>\n

The book’s cover depicts Horsch covered in blood and appearing younger than in recent photographs, with black hair.<\/p>\n

Inside, the narrative presents a character who kills under what he views as circumstances of mercy and kindness.<\/p>\n

“It’s a lot of pornography; it’s repetitive, there’s no structure,” said Katherine Ramsland, a DeSales University professor of forensic psychology.<\/p>\n

Ramsland said the book portrays Horsch as someone who would kill troubled women he brought to his Chew Avenue home to photograph and create violent pornography.<\/p>\n

SEE ALSO | Evidence seen being hauled out of Horsch home in the Olney section of Philadelphia<\/a><\/p>\n

Investigators returned to a home in Philadelphia’s Olney neighborhood as part of an ongoing search connected to seven missing or unidentified women.<\/p>\n

“He doesn’t really describe tortures. He doesn’t describe captivity. It isn’t as depraved as a lot of manuscripts I’ve looked at,” Ramsland said.<\/p>\n

Although the book is partly described as a confession of a serial killer, Ramsland noted it details only one killing.<\/p>\n

“It’s not really a confession of a serial killer like we’ve seen with others, where they’re going through quite a few murders and talking about them,” she said.<\/p>\n

In Chapter 45, the book recounts the killing of a woman identified as Krista.<\/p>\n

“He describes her deterioration and why this is kindness to her and how he ended up doing this during a sexual encounter that would actually make her death ecstatic to her,” Ramsland said.<\/p>\n

RELATED | Horsch case: Woman recalls 2013 encounter with father, son linked to Olney investigation<\/a><\/p>\n

Woman recalls 2012 encounter with father, son linked to Olney investigation<\/p>\n

Investigators have said they recovered a video that appears to show Horsch killing a woman by strangulation.<\/a><\/p>\n

“At some point during this, using a channel lock tool of some kind, he puts zip ties around her neck and she becomes unconscious and appears lifeless,” Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore said.<\/p>\n

Sources also told the Investigative Team that investigators have a video that appears to show Horsch attempting to strangle a woman with her necklace before it broke.<\/p>\n

The woman was later found alive. Seven missing or unidentified women have been linked to the home.<\/p>\n

RELATED | What we know about 7 women linked to investigation at home in Philadelphia’s Olney neighborhood<\/a><\/p>\n

The home in Philadelphia’s Olney section is linked to several missing women, investigators say<\/p>\n

“He sets up in the book that they could get on a bus and disappear. That’s what happens to these women. They have nowhere to go, and no one’s attached to them, and they just vanish,” Ramsland said.<\/p>\n

Investigators are also examining passages in the book describing the use of plumbing chemicals to rapidly decompose Krista’s body in a tub before disposing of the remains in a storm drain.<\/p>\n

Police said they recovered 21 containers<\/a> from the home. Sources said the containers hold an oily sludge that is being analyzed at a forensic laboratory.<\/p>\n

According to investigators, the substance could be significant to the case. If DNA is found in the containers, it could provide physical evidence supporting descriptions contained in the book.<\/p>\n

“We have had convictions where the piece of writing from that person, the murderer or serial killer helped the case, but only after you have physical evidence,” Ramsland said.<\/p>\n

Ramsland said the writing alone would not be enough to secure a conviction.<\/p>\n

However, R.C. Horsch is dead, shifting the focus of the investigation toward providing answers for the families of missing women<\/a> and determining whether his son played any role.<\/p>\n

Sources said investigators so far have found no indication that his son, Eugene Horsch<\/a>, was involved. He remains jailed on federal gun charges.<\/p>\n

“We’ve only just begun to hear what might be going on here,” Ramsland said.<\/p>\n

It remains unclear when laboratory testing of the material recovered from the containers will be completed.<\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 2026 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — The investigation into Raymond “R.C.” Horsch and his son has centered on a second search…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":302095,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[124314,69,71,70],"class_list":["post-302094","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-philadelphia","tag-124314","tag-philadelphia","tag-philadelphia-headlines","tag-philadelphia-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302094","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=302094"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302094\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/302095"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=302094"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=302094"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=302094"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}