Fears of a new serial killer have been ignited after police raided a man's 'house of horrors' in Philadelphia and found urns of human ashes and a chilling note referencing serial killer Ted Bundy. The case centres on a run-down home at 417 West Chew Avenue in the Olney section of the city and 44-year-old Eugene Horsch. Neighbours have made grim comparisons to 1980s Philadelphia serial killer Gary Heidnik, but police stress that, as of August, Horsch has not been charged with murder.
Traffic Stop Leads to Disturbing Discovery
Instead, Horsch is being held in federal custody on weapons, drugs and fake-credentials offences while investigators and the FBI continue digging through mountains of evidence linked to him and his late father, Raymond 'R.C.' Horsch. The nightmare began with what should have been a routine traffic stop on June 19, when a US Park Ranger spotted Horsch's BMW parked in a restricted area near Independence Mall. As the ranger approached, he reportedly heard a woman inside the car say: "You're going to hurt me."
The woman handed over an ID for Blair Tonzelli, a woman reported missing since 2023, but later admitted she was using the missing woman's identification to hide from her own warrants, Inquirer reported. Police reportedly searched the car and allegedly found two guns with scratched-off serial numbers, cocaine and fentanyl, a cattle prod, a collapsible baton, and a fake DEA badge bearing Horsch's photo. The bizarre haul triggered search warrants at the West Chew Avenue address.
Hidden Spaces and Human Ashes Found
Inside, forensic teams in hazmat suits reportedly found a maze of concealed spaces, including a hollowed-out staircase used to hide items. In the basement they discovered what was described as a small 'lab', with a water-line system connected to a 55-gallon drum, a hole dug beneath it, and more than 20 containers of unknown oily chemicals, People reported. Investigators also recovered five urns believed to contain cremated human remains.
Furthermore, one of the urns was labelled with the name of Eugene's father, WGAL 8 reported. Most chilling was a handwritten note detailing violence and body disposal, referencing serial killer Ted Bundy and talking about "trash that needs to go", according to NBC10 Philadelphia.
Digital Trove and Missing Women
The case has taken an even darker twist with the discovery of a massive digital trove allegedly linked to Eugene, with around 600,000 images, 70,000 videos, and more than 10,000 pages of writings and drawings. Detectives say early footage shows two women alive in the home, with later material appearing to show them dead. The medical examiner reportedly said that if the videos are real and unaltered, the women appear deceased - yet no bodies have been found.
The women identified in the footage are Gabrielle Amarando, missing since 2012, and Maribel Fresses, missing since 2018. Two other missing women are also linked to the address: Amy McHale, who vanished in 2016 and was previously married to R.C. Horsch, and Blair Tonzelli, whose ID surfaced in the traffic stop. Police have now served search warrants.
Additionally, a K-9 team searched the property, part of the sewer line was removed for examination, and the FBI is assisting while specialists test the mystery substances. Horsch is due before a federal grand jury on September 8 for felon-in-possession and fraudulent federal badge charges. With no remains recovered, Philadelphia homicide detectives say murder charges remain out of reach for now as the investigation continues.
