PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The house was a powder keg of incriminating, suspicious evidence. And there was a lot of it — bizarre items like chemical vats and urns, and tens of thousands of macabre files on hard drives. As one official described the material, "It's dark. Very dark."
The investigation into the Olney House — a twin brick residence on a quiet block in North Philadelphia shared by Eugene Horsch and his late pornographer father, Raymond Charles (R.C.) Horsch — is in its fourth month. Attention around the “house of horrors” has exploded, with national news outlets picking up the story and social media updates going viral.
In mid-August, law enforcement was finally ready to share a massive breakthrough: Two women who had been missing for years were identified in video footage found in the home. The connection was strong enough to classify the case as a "death investigation," with officials foreshadowing that update as just the beginning.
The scope of this winding, macabre case continues to expand. In September, officials revealed that three more women were found in more video evidence recovered from the Horsch home. The women were seemingly dead, bringing the total to five victims who police believe entered 417 Chew Avenue and never came out alive. So far, the police have not been able to recover any bodies in the ongoing investigation into these disappearances.
Gabrielle Amarando was the first victim Philadelphia police named in the ongoing investigation. Her sister, Alyssa, said she was “the biggest light.”
Alyssa moved out of Pennsylvania in 2009, and a few years later, their father died.
“Her and my dad were really good at doing, like, accents and impressions and stuff, so that was kind of her thing. She was just really goofy,” she shared with KYW Newsradio.
“She would sleep in my bed with me, like, we would just share stories, like, she never ever treated me like the little sister.”
Left: Gabrielle Amarando, her brother and Alyssa at Alyssa’s 1st birthday. Right: Gabrielle with her dad and their dog.Alyssa Amarando
Alyssa said her last full memory of Gabrielle was shortly after their father died — “of her just, you know, coming and visiting us, and then I'll say after that, I never got to speak to her again after September 2012.”
Gabrielle was reported missing some time later. And in September, police announced they had identified Gabrielle as one of the women connected to the house — believed to be dead.
“She's such a big heart, and I think that's really what I want people to know is that she was just such a funny, big-hearted person, and addiction aside, she was just the best person to be around no matter what.”
Maribel Fresses (left) and Gabrielle Amarando (right)NamUs; Facebook
Maribel Fresses was identified the same day as Gabrielle. She was last seen in February 2018 and believed to have been alive in some of the videos that officials said depicted “extremely dark and disturbing” scenes. Police believe her dead body was captured on film.
Philadelphia police encourage anyone with information about the Olney House, Eugene or Raymond Charles Horsch to come forward. The department tip line is 215-686-TIPS (8477). The direct line to the homicide unit is 215-686-3334.
