Philadelphia police identify fifth missing woman tied to Horsch home

Philadelphia police have identified a fifth missing woman connected to evidence recovered from a home now under FBI scrutiny, adding another name to a case that has grown through digital forensics rather than bodies. The Independent reports investigators are reviewing more than one million photos taken from the former residence of Raymond “RC” Horsch and his son Eugene, after searches turned up videos and images allegedly showing women being harmed.

The fifth woman is Nicole Fusaro, who was 27 when she disappeared in 2018, according to Philadelphia police. The case initially centered on Eugene Horsch, who has been in federal custody since June on allegations involving illegal guns and a fake DEA badge; attention shifted to the home he shared with his father, who is deceased. The Independent says the home search produced vats of chemicals, writings referencing serial killers, and dozens of digital storage devices—material that generates leads while also imposing a slow, document-heavy investigative path.

Four other women had already been publicly tied to the investigation: Blair Tonzelli, Gabrielle Amarando, Maribel Fresses, and Amy McHale, The Independent reports. Tonzelli went missing in February 2023, and Eugene Horsch was arrested in June while with a woman allegedly carrying Tonzelli’s ID. Police have said Tonzelli’s bank card was allegedly found in the home, a detail that links the missing-person thread to the property search without yet establishing who did what, or when.

What makes the case unusually stark is how much of the alleged violence exists as media files rather than physical evidence. The Independent reports that the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office has confirmed that images and videos show Fresses and Amarando deceased, but cannot determine cause of death without remains. Investigators have executed more than 95 search warrants tied to the Olney neighborhood home, and officers have said some video evidence is still missing.

That creates a familiar asymmetry: investigators can seize devices and obtain warrants quickly, but proving a homicide without bodies is slower, and every additional terabyte increases the backlog. Families, meanwhile, are pulled into a process that alternates between high-stakes updates and long periods of silence. Fusaro’s relatives have been meeting with police, and a cousin described her as kindhearted and deserving better, The Independent reports.

Police have identified a fifth missing woman, and investigators are still sorting through a million-plus images. The Medical Examiner says some victims appear on video, but without remains the cause of death remains undetermined.