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Olney property search nearing end with no human remains found, officials say
Investigators expect to finish digging at a Chew Avenue home this week after searching inside and outside for weeks. They have found no human remains, though detectives are testing DNA collected inside the property.
Excavation at a home on Chew Avenue in Philadelphia’s Olney neighborhood is expected to end this week, after investigators spent weeks searching for evidence connected to seven missing women. Five of the women are presumed dead.
As of Tuesday, the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office had identified no human remains at the property. Bones found earlier were determined to be from an animal, and a law enforcement source close to the investigation also said no human remains had been located.
Investigators expanded the search outdoors Wednesday, digging in a small garden area in front of the home. The property belonged to Raymond “R.C.” Horsch, an erotic photographer and filmmaker who died in 2025 at age 82.
Police have said they have video and photographic evidence suggesting Horsch may have been involved in the deaths of five women. The investigation has included searches inside and outside the house since late September.
During an interior search using luminol, a chemical that can reveal possible blood traces under specialized light, detectives found DNA. Because Horsch, his son and other people lived in the home, investigators said DNA was not unexpected. Detectives are testing it to determine whether it has evidentiary value.
Horsch’s son, Eugene Horsch, inherited the property and remains in custody on federal charges involving false credentials and firearms. He has not been charged in connection with the missing women. His attorney has said he had no involvement in the searches at the house.
Anyone with information can contact Philadelphia police at 215-686-8477 or speak with a homicide investigator at 215-686-3334.