Timeline of investigation into missing women connected to Horsch Philly house

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A massive investigation continues to unfold involving a Philadelphia father and son, Raymond "R.C." Horsch and Eugene Horsch, who appear to be connected to multiple missing women in the city's Olney section.

Detectives are asking anyone who has been inside 417 West Chew Avenue or has information about activity at the property to come forward. Anyone who believes a missing loved one may have a connection to the residence is also urged to contact police.

Anyone with information can call the PPD tip line at 215-686-TIPS (8477). To speak directly with a Homicide Unit investigator assigned to the case, call 215-686-3334.

Here is a timeline of events known so far in the case:

January 2004

Eugene Horsch is convicted of aggravated assault and aggravated battery by a vehicle. He was sentenced to two to four years.

July 2009

R.C. Horsch is arrested in Chalfont, Bucks County, after a marijuana grow operation was discovered in his basement. More than 200 marijuana plants were removed from the property.

2012

Gabrielle Amarando, 22, disappeared in Philadelphia. A childhood friend of Amarando told Action News that loved ones grew increasingly concerned when they stopped hearing from her.

February 2014

Eugene Horsch is convicted of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and is sentenced to another two to four years in prison.

June 2016

Amy McHale, 44, was last seen at the W. Chew Avenue house.

She had been married to R.C. Horsch.

Her daughter, Amanda Stofer, said McHale left her a voicemail the day she disappeared, saying she was at the home and was OK.

"She left me a voicemail, and she said she was at Ray's, and that's where Ray lives," Stofer said. "Ray even spoke with me and my grandmother, and the detectives afterward, and gave the same story that she was there and that when he woke up in the morning, she wasn't."

2017

Video, which police say has metadata from 2017 but was not discovered by police until 2026, allegedly shows R.C. Horsch strangling a woman.

In the video, R.C. Horsch and the woman are described as being naked. The woman is allegedly seen using drugs and given money before being handcuffed to a bed and a zip tie put around her neck. She is then described as becoming unconscious in the video.

Sources identify that woman as Nicole Fusaro, who was 27 years old when she was reported missing.

2018

Maribel Fresses, 28, disappeared in Philadelphia.

Nicole Fusaro, 27, is reported missing in Philadelphia.

2023

Blair Tonzelli, 35, goes missing in Philadelphia.

2025

R.C. Horsch dies.

November 2025
Eugene Horsch is again convicted of possession with intent to distribute, and was sentenced to more than a year in prison and three years of probation.

June 19, 2026

Eugene Horsch was arrested after a federal park ranger noticed a black BMW that was parked in an area it was not supposed to be in the 600 block of Market Street on Independence Mall around 8 p.m.

"When he's addressing the occupants, he hears what he believes the female to say, 'You're going to hurt me,'" said Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore.

The ranger suspected drug activity, noticing sores on the driver's arms and face, which officials say are common among illegal drug users.

He asked the two occupants for identification and said that's when the driver, now known to be Eugene Horsch, allegedly presented the ranger with fake DEA and FBI credentials.

A woman in the car also appeared to have sores on her body and was "moving in a twitchy and agitated manner consistent with illegal stimulant drug use," according to a complaint.

The woman allegedly handed over the ID with her photo, but with Tonzelli's name on it. She claims Horsch gave her the identification.

Two loaded guns, including the one with an obliterated serial number, a switchblade knife, a cattle prod device, a collapsible baton, handcuffs, as well as crack cocaine were also found in the car, investigators said.

June 26, 2026

Police hold first news conference on the case after chemicals, ammo and drugs were found inside a home in the 400 block of West Chew Avenue, Philadelphia police say.

The items in the basement included a 55-gallon drum and connections to water lines. Vanore called it a "strange setup."

Officials say the sheer quantity of chemicals found on the property raised red flags.

"Some of these chemicals, if they were to be put together and obviously ignited, they could cause some hazards," Vanore said.

Eugene's attorney, Jerry Brown, said the chemicals found inside the home belonged to Horsch's father and that he does not believe they are dangerous.

Police and FBI agents could be seen outside the home.

Vanore also addressed rumors that there were bodies inside the home. He said, at that point, no bodies had been found.

"We're going to further search," he said. "There's a sump pump that looks like a hole in the ground, but there's no bodies. I don't have any bodies."

June 26, 2026:

Amy McHale family speaks out hours after police press conference.

They told Action News the developments drew the attention of the family since McHale was last seen at the Chew Ave. home.

McHale's daughter described RC Horsch as "very quiet" and "very intelligent."

June 30, 2026:
Documents obtained by Action News show that zip ties, as well as a handwritten note that mentions serial killer Ted Bundy, as well as ways to dispose of trash, were discovered at the home.

Authorities say the note didn't have a signature.

June 30, 2026:

We learn Horsch is in federal custody after a search of the Olney home yields gun, drug evidence.

Officials say he will remain in custody as the case proceeds.

Police also said the scene at the home will remain secured until all evidence has been fully processed.

July 9, 2026

Horsch is indicted on federal charges.

July 13, 2026

Investigators expand the perimeter around the property as the investigation continues.

Sources said cadaver dogs were brought to the scene to assist investigators. Nearby residents reported seeing a dog searching the area near an orange tarp.

The FBI was also present at the property, with agents seen entering and exiting the home throughout the day.

Many investigators were wearing protective suits. At one point, a person was seen carrying what appeared to be testing tubes from the property.

July 22, 2026

Pipes are excavated from the Chew Ave. home to be examined by Philadelphia police and FBI forensic investigators for any potential evidence.

Chopper 6 captured crews tearing up the front yard and part of the street with an excavator while workers cut sections of pipe, placed them into evidence boxes and, at times, dug with shovels.

Aug. 6, 2026

State charges are withdrawn against Eugene Horsch as federal prosecutors take over the case.

Aug. 12, 2026

Police say they have recovered approximately 600,000 images and 70,000 videos from hard drives found at the residence, including images from inside the Chew Ave. home that appear to show two women dead.

"Based on the video and photo evidence, if the images in the video are real and not altered in any way, based on their review, the M.E. would believe the individuals depicted in the images are deceased," said Philadelphia Police Inspector Ray Evers.

They were identified as Gabrielle Amarando and Maribel Fresses.

"It's dark. It's real dark. What we saw is these two girls alive, there is a period of time, and what appears to us they are deceased," Evers said.

Authorities described the investigation as complex and ongoing, noting that neither woman's body has been found, meaning they cannot officially be declared dead.

Aug. 21, 2026

Motion filed to return a black 2023 BMW 530 XE tied to investigation involving Eugene Horsch.

Sept. 2, 2026

Horsch's BMW, which is impounded along Whitaker Avenue, is being examined by investigators, according to sources. Action News was outside the lot getting an exclusive first look at the BMW, which Horsch was arrested with in June.

According to court documents, attorneys argue there is no evidence that drugs found inside the vehicle were intended for distribution and contend they were for personal use.

Sept. 10, 2026

Police say they have seen video that allegedly shows R.C. Horsch strangling a woman.

Sept. 15, 2026

Nicole Fusaro is identified as a 5th missing woman connected to Olney home. Her cousin, Jonathan Halloran-Koren, told Action News that family members had been meeting with Philadelphia police detectives in connection with the Chew Ave. case.

Sources also tell Action News the FBI has increased the number of agents assigned to the investigation to help authenticate more than one million images that have been recovered from the home.

Sept. 16, 2026

Police reveal that five women - who appear injured, lifeless, and possibly dead - have been seen on digital evidence recovered from the Olney home. This brings the number of missing women connected to the case to seven.

This is also when police described the video allegedly showing R.C. Horsch strangling a woman. Sources tell Action News that woman is believed to be Fusaro.

Police also said nearly 60 people were seen in the videos. Some have been tracked down and have spoken to police. Others have been identified but said they would not talk to investigators. There are also 10 people who were seen in the videos that are known to have overdosed at a later time, "not at Chew Street," Vanore said.

Investigators are still trying to make contact with more.

"Let's remember, he was making movies. Some of his movies are there on this digital evidence," Vanore said. "That's the part where -- some of this is playacting and some of it, we believe, could be real. But we're not there yet."

Authorities said they plan to return to the Chew Avenue home in late September with another search warrant.

In Bucks County, Robert Scafidi, the former police chief of New Britain Township, spoke exclusively about the day he arrested R.C. Horsch at his home in Chalfont in 2009. According to Scafidi, investigators discovered a marijuana-growing operation at the home. After obtaining a search warrant, police seized nearly 200 marijuana plants, but that's not all.

"As part of the investigation, firearms were found," he said. "There were also IDs of various females. There were a few of them. The DA's office took them and were going to follow up. I really don't know what happened after that."

R.C. Horsch was taken into federal custody. According to court documents, he received a 54-month federal prison sentence but received credit for time served in Bucks County jail.R.C. Horsch was taken into federal custody. According to court documents, he received a 54-month federal prison sentence but received credit for time served in Bucks County jail.

Sept. 17, 2026

All of R.C. Horsch's books are removed from Amazon for violating the company's content guidelines, according to a spokesperson.

Among the works under scrutiny is "Empathy," a book obtained by Action News and described as the autobiography of "a caring, compassionate, empathetic serial killer." In the book, he states: "I'm a murderer." The book also clearly states that it is a work of fiction.

Police say some of the writings in his books describe similar circumstances investigators have seen in video evidence recovered from the home.

Sept. 23, 2026

Exclusive photos shared with Action News show inside of R.C. Horsch's Chalfont home from 2010.

The Bucks County neighborhood is located about 40 minutes outside Philadelphia.

Dave Speldos said he will never forget the Chalfont home after RC Horsch was arrested after a marijuana grow operation was discovered in his basement.

After investigators cleared the home and it went into foreclosure, Speldos said he was a contractor working for Defuso Property Preservation and was brought in to preserve it.

"That house had just a presence about it that stuck with me for years. And for that reason, I kept all the photos," he explained. "I've seen meth labs and hoarder houses, you name it. But the Horsch house has really just ingrained itself."

He was tasked with securing the property and cleaning it. But first, he had to photograph it to protect from liability.

Speldos said the home wasn't only filthy, it was sickening.

He said what he found most disturbing was a plaster mold of a body, with a knife in the back.

He also described a vault door, "almost like a panic room."

Action News asked officials about the home and was told they are aware of it but haven't investigated it yet.

Sept. 27, 2026

Police and local leaders met with residents to discuss what's ahead in the high-profile case involving at the West Chew Avenue property.

Neighbors were told they will have to move their cars and there will be street closures, as well as disruptions to sanitation, parking and congestion.

Officials say activity at the house could last until mid-October.

Sept. 28, 2026

The FBI, along with Philadelphia police, returned to the Olney home with a search warrant for another extensive search.

Sources told Action News that police and the FBI will be going floor by floor, looking for other evidence. They will bring up floorboards and remove drywall as they search for DNA and other evidence.

Oct. 5, 2026

Investigators begin Phase 2 in extensive search of W. Chew Ave. home.

Sources say investigators planned to spray luminol, which can reveal traces of blood not visible to the naked eye.

Oct. 6, 2026

Chopper 6 was over the W. Chew Ave. home as evidence was being removed and taken to a large tent nearby.

According to sources, investigators were systematically dismantling portions of the interior of the home in search of forensic evidence.

Their search has reached the home's partially finished basement, where various forms of lab equipment and containers were recovered.

Retired FBI agent JJ Klaver said the amount of evidence being removed from the property is notable, but cautioned that its significance remains unknown.

Oct. 15, 2026
The Medical Examiner's Office responded to the home after bones were found. The bones were later determined to be those of an animal.

Oct. 20, 2026

Sources told Action News that adipocere, a wax-like substance that can form during decomposition, was discovered during the ongoing excavation of the property.

"Adipocere is a tissue which can be used to identify a person," said Fabio Oldoni, an associate professor, program director and forensic geneticist at Arcadia University.

Oldoni noted that if DNA is significantly degraded, recovering usable genetic evidence can become difficult.

Experts noted that adipocere is not unique to human decomposition and can also be found in animals, meaning additional testing will be necessary.

Oldoni said investigators will need to rely on multiple forms of evidence as the investigation continues.

Oct. 23, 2026
After weeks of excavation, dismantling walls, and collecting evidence, investigators concluded their extensive search at the home in Olney.

Oct. 29, 2026
Newly unsealed court documents show the late Raymond "R.C." Horsch once provided federal agents with information about child prostitution, drug trafficking and fraud.

The July 2012 documents unsealed on Oct. 29, 2026, show the information was provided after Horsch was arrested and ultimately pleaded guilty to federal drug and firearms charges stemming from marijuana grown in the basement of his then-Chalfont home and two sawed-off shotguns.