Childhood friend of Eugene Horsch recalls father-son relationship, memories of Chalfont home

PHILADELPHIA - The childhood friend of Eugene Horsch, the man at the center of a disturbing investigation involving his father that's linked to at least seven missing women, shared his memories of the Horsch's home in Chalfont and the eerie things he remembers seeing at the home.

‘Seemed like a normal family’

What they're saying:

In an interview with FOX News' Bill Hemmer, Jeremy Perry described Eugene as a "great kid" and recalled frequently playing with him in the backyard of the Horsch's home in Chalfont. Perry said he and Eugene were friends from elementary school to high school.

"They seemed like a normal family," Perry told FOX News, adding that Eugene and his father seemed to share a good relationship. "He didn't seem off or anything like that, it was just a normal – or what seemed normal to me at the time – relationship."

Inside the Horsch's home, Perry remembered seeing cameras, photo and lighting equipment, and computers. Perry said he assumed R.C. Horsch was a photographer. 

"We left when [R.C. Horsch] had stuff going on at the house," Perry said. He remembered seeing both men and women frequently coming and going from the house. 

Perhaps one of the most eerie memories Perry shared about the home was the 55 gallon drums he recalled seeing in a backyard barn where he and Eugene used to play. The house, he said, burned down and was rebuilt to be much bigger. 

Perry said Eugene began hanging out with the wrong crowd in high school, and he last saw him around the time they graduated in 1999. More than 25 years later, Perry said he was shocked to hear the news about Eugene and his father.

"I wasn't expecting it, that's for sure," he said. "It surprised me like crazy."

Horsch investigation: Everything we know

Timeline:

June 2026: Horsch is arrested in Center City

Horsch was arrested after police said they recovered guns, drugs, fake law-enforcement equipment and identification documents during an investigation in Center City. The arrest led investigators to an Olney property associated with Horsch.

Late June 2026: Police search the Olney home

Philadelphia police searched the home in the 400 block of West Chew Avenue, recovering weapons, chemicals, drug-related evidence, electronic devices and urns containing cremated remains. Investigators also excavated parts of the property as the search continued.

Investigators linked two missing women, Amy McHale and Blair Tonzelli, to the property. McHale, who was previously married to Horsch's late father, has been missing since 2016. Tonzelli, whose name appeared on the fake ID of the woman Horsch was stopped with in Center City, has been missing for several years.

August 2026: Police identify evidence linked to two missing women

Police said digital evidence recovered during the investigation appeared to show the bodies of Maribel Fresses and Gabrielle Amarando. Fresses, 27, had been reported missing in 2018. Amarando, 22, disappeared in 2012.

Neither woman’s body has been recovered, and police have not publicly announced a cause or manner of death.

August 2026: Federal prosecutors take over Horsch’s case

Federal prosecutors charged Horsch with being a felon in possession of firearms and unlawfully producing an identification document or authentication feature.

Those charges are separate from the investigation into the Olney home. He has not been charged in either woman’s death.

September 2026: More missing women linked to Horsch investigation

Nicole Fusaro, who was 27-years-old when she was reported missing from Kensington in 2018, was recently identified by police as the woman seen being strangled by Raymond Horsch in a disturbing video recovered during the investigation.

Two additional women—one around 25 years old and another not yet identified—appear in images as unconscious with signs of injury, according to investigators. 

Over 1 million digital files recovered from Horsch's home

What they're saying:

Investigators say they have gathered more than 1 million pieces of digital evidence from the Horsch's Chew Avenue home, including more than 600,000 images, 70,000 videos and 10,000 pages of writing. 

The FBI and investigators say they have only been able to review about 30 percent of the digital material so far. Police have identified 58 people in the images. Five women appear to be lifeless in the digital materials, according to police.

They are planning another search of the Olney property at the end of September. Officials say they are still working to determine exactly what happened to the women connected to this case. Police note that no human remains have been found at the property.