Philadelphia investigators officially label dead pornographer Raymond Horsch a 'suspected serial killer' as excavation of 'house of horrors' is set to expand
From the Newshound archive · first published 2 October 2026 · last updated 3 October 2026.
Law enforcement has confirmed that Raymond 'RC' Horsch, who died in 2025 aged 82, is now considered a suspected serial killer — the first time investigators have applied that label publicly. At least seven missing women are linked to his dilapidated Olney home at 417 West Chew Avenue, and five are feared dead, among them Blair Tonzelli, Nicole Fusaro, Maribel Fresses, Amy McHale — who had been married to Horsch — and Gabrielle Amarando. Heavy machinery is set to move in for excavation of the property next week, with road closures planned, as investigators hunt for signs of wet cremation used to dissolve human remains.
Over a million disturbing images and videos were recovered from the house; 58 women have been identified in them, but 19 who spoke to detectives refused to cooperate.
Horsch's self-published 2023 manifesto described humanity as 'analogous to a cancer', while his novel 'Empathy: The Memoir of an Empathetic Serial Killer' depicts strangling a drug-addicted woman met in Kensington.
A reporter who lunched with Horsch for three hours in 2014 described him as 'pleasant' and 'even kind of polite' — unaware Horsch had already told him he manufactured amphetamines and considered himself a sociopath.