More than one million pieces of digital evidence recovered from a single Philadelphia home anchor a suspected serial killing investigation that board-certified forensic psychologist Dr. Kris Mohandie says could expose a commercial distribution network for so-called snuff films. Detectives had reviewed less than one-third of the cache as of Friday; within that portion, four of the missing women linked to the Chew Avenue property in Olney had already been identified. Seven women total have been connected to the site, at least five of whom are believed dead.
| Evidence status (reported, as of Friday) | Figure |
|---|---|
| Digital items recovered | >1,000,000 |
| Share reviewed | <one-third |
| Missing women linked to home | 7 |
| Believed dead (reported) | at least 5 |
| Identified in reviewed material | 4 |
| Publicly named | 2 |
The two publicly named victims are Gabrielle Amarando and Maribel Fresses.
Origins of the case
The investigation traces to the death of Raymond "RC" Horsch, 82, a convicted methamphetamine producer who spent years generating brutally themed pornography and violent fiction. When his son Eugene Horsch, 44, was arrested in June on unlawful firearms and forgery charges, a search of the Chew Avenue family home turned up what authorities describe as alleged snuff videos, a drum of chemicals hooked to the water system, and the million-plus-item digital trove now under review. A woman present at the June arrest was allegedly carrying the identification of one of the missing women, according to authorities.
RC Horsch's 2014 book "Empathy" contains a chapter on dissolving a murder victim's body with boiling chemicals. Amazon and Goodreads removed the title on Friday. He died before charges were filed. Eugene Horsch has not been charged in connection with the missing women as of Friday.
Distribution network, conditional
Mohandie said RC Horsch's history in the pornographic industry raises the possibility that sadistic motive was compounded by profit: the commercial distribution of snuff material to underground buyers. He framed the scenario as a question investigators should resolve, not an established conclusion. Excavation crews have been searching the exterior of the Chew Avenue property and the adjoining sewers. More than two-thirds of the digital evidence remains unreviewed.