Investigators have unearthed "dark and graphic" videos from a Philadelphia home that suggest two missing women, Maribel Fresses and Gabriella Amarando, are dead, according to police.
Philadelphia Police Inspector Ray Evers stated Wednesday that the footage appears to show the women alive for a period before their apparent demise. "Based on the video and photo evidence, if the images in the video are real and not altered in any way, based on their review, the [medical examiner] would believe the individuals depicted in the images are deceased," Evers said.
However, Fresses and Amarando cannot officially be declared dead, nor can anyone be charged with their deaths, until their bodies are found, Evers added. The families of both women have been notified.
"This is new territory for the homicide unit in Philadelphia. Usually, when we have a homicide investigation, we have a body, we have body parts. This time we do not," Evers told reporters. Police have sifted through hundreds of thousands of images, videos, and pages of drawings and writings seized as evidence. The trove of digital evidence was recovered from the property of Eugene Horsch, 44, the son of the late erotic photographer R.C. Horsch.
Fresses disappeared in 2018 at age 27, and Amarando vanished in 2012 at age 22. Authorities believe the videos depict these two women. The home is also the last known location of R.C. Horsch's ex-wife, Amy McHale, who disappeared in 2016.
The investigation began on June 19, 2026, when a U.S. Park Ranger overheard an argument between Horsch and his girlfriend near Independence Hall. Police intervened and found Horsch allegedly in possession of a fake Drug Enforcement Administration badge, a switchblade, and two guns with scratched-out serial numbers. Horsch's girlfriend was found with a fake ID belonging to Blair Tonzelli, who has been missing since 2023 when she was 35.
Subsequent warrants led investigators to Horsch's three-story home, where they discovered a large quantity of chemicals, a 55-gallon drum, several urns, hidden compartments, guns, and a handwritten letter referencing Ted Bundy. Narcotics and evidence suggesting Horsch was attempting to grow drugs were also found. A bank card with Tonzelli's name and a death certificate for another woman were recovered as well.
Horsch, who has a prior arrest record including drug possession, assault, and drunken driving, was arrested on charges related to possession of firearms and counterfeit credentials. As of Wednesday, he was not facing new charges in connection with the missing women.