PHILADELPHIA, PA — Five missing women are now linked to the sprawling investigation centered on a home in Philadelphia’s Olney neighborhood, according to police and family members. The case has widened as detectives and federal agents work through a growing trove of evidence tied to the property on the 400 block of West Chew Avenue.
Among the women now connected to the inquiry is Nicole Fusaro, who was 27 when she disappeared in 2018, according to her cousin, Jonathan Halloran-Koren. Family members have been meeting with Philadelphia police detectives as investigators continue to sort through recovered images, video and physical evidence.
Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said an update in the case could come as soon as this week, though no news conference date or time has been announced.
Nicole Fusaro’s family says she is among the women now linked to the case
Halloran-Koren told Action News that his cousin Nicole Fusaro is one of the five missing women now tied to the investigation. He said the family has been in contact with police and that the pain of her disappearance remains with them years later.
Fusaro vanished in 2018 at age 27. Her name adds another layer to a case that has already drawn attention because of the number of women connected to the same investigation and the volume of material detectives are examining.
Family statements have become an important part of the public picture of the case, especially as investigators have not yet said whether any remains have been recovered in connection with the missing women.
Halloran-Koren described Fusaro as a kind woman who was deeply missed by the people who knew her. The family’s comments came as police continued to meet with relatives of women now believed to be part of the larger inquiry.
How the investigation started on Independence Mall in June
The case began on June 19 after a federal park ranger saw a black BMW parked in an area where it was not supposed to be in the 600 block of Market Street on Independence Mall around 8 p.m. The ranger suspected drug activity and asked the two people in the vehicle for identification.
That encounter led to a major chain of events. Police say the woman handed over an identification card with Blair Tonzelli’s name on it, which helped draw investigators deeper into the case.
Authorities later focused on Eugene Horsch, 44, whose home in the 400 block of West Chew Avenue has been under scrutiny since June. Horsch remains in federal custody on firearms charges while the wider investigation continues.
The arrest and the property search that followed have become central to the inquiry, which now involves both local and federal law enforcement agencies.
More than one million images are being checked by federal agents
Sources told Action News the FBI has increased the number of agents assigned to the case so investigators can authenticate more than one million images recovered from the home. That digital archive is one of the biggest reasons the case has continued to expand over the past several months.
Police have also recovered chemicals, drugs, firearms and ballistic evidence from the property, along with a 55-gallon drum connected to water lines. Investigators excavated an underground pipe from in front of the West Chew Avenue house as part of the search effort.
Police said in July that the pipes would be tested for evidence, but officials have not released additional details because the investigation remains active. The scale of the material suggests detectives are still working through multiple lines of inquiry.
The FBI’s added staffing signals how much digital evidence still needs review before investigators can sort out what it may show and how it fits into the broader case.
Three women were identified before Fusaro was added to the list
Blair Tonzelli was the first woman named in the case. She was 35 when she went missing in 2023, and police said that when Horsch was arrested, he was with a woman who had an ID card bearing Tonzelli’s name. That woman allegedly told police Horsch had given her the ID.
Gabrielle Amarando and Maribel Fresses were later identified as part of the investigation. Amarando disappeared in 2012 at age 22, and Fresses disappeared in 2018 at age 27. Police said last month that both women were seen in videos recovered during the investigation and that both appeared to be dead.
The women’s bodies have not been recovered. That fact leaves one of the most important parts of the case unresolved even as investigators continue to connect records, images and other evidence to the missing women.
The growing list of names has turned the case into a widening search for answers, with detectives trying to determine what happened to each woman and whether the same people were involved in all of the disappearances.
Raymond Horsch and the handwritten note add another disturbing thread
Investigators have also focused on Eugene Horsch’s late father, Raymond Horsch, who has become a central figure in the case. Family members told Action News that Amy McHale was previously married to Raymond Horsch, and McHale’s relatives said she was last seen at the West Chew Avenue house.
McHale was 44 when she was last seen in 2016. Her family said they were told shortly after Eugene Horsch’s arrest that she had last been seen at the property, adding another missing-person connection to the same location.
Sources told Action News last week that investigators recovered video that allegedly shows Raymond Horsch strangling a woman to death. That woman has not been named publicly.
Documents obtained by Action News also indicate officers found a handwritten note referencing serial killer Ted Bundy and methods for disposing of trash. The note was unsigned, and police have not said who wrote it.
What investigators may reveal next in the Philadelphia case
Police say a case update could arrive as soon as this week, although officials have not yet set a time or date for a news conference. For now, the investigation continues to move forward on several tracks at once: missing women, recovered digital evidence, firearms, and possible evidence from the property and pipes.
Eugene Horsch was indicted in early July for being a convicted felon in possession of guns, including one with an obliterated serial number, and for possessing fake DEA and FBI credentials. Those charges are separate from the broader investigation, but they place him at the center of the law-enforcement effort.
With more than one million images to authenticate, multiple agencies still face a lengthy review. Families tied to the missing women are waiting alongside investigators for answers about what happened and whether more names may yet be connected to the case.
For now, police have not said when they will release the next public update, but the inquiry remains active and has not yet reached a final conclusion.
