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PHILADELPHIA - Police began excavating the yard of a home at the center of a drugs and weapons investigation that may also involve two missing women.
What we know:
Law enforcement officers and utility crews with equipment gathered outside the home of 44-year-old Eugene Horsch on West Chew Avenue in Olney on Wednesday morning.
The home has been the center of an ongoing drugs and weapons investigation that began in June when Horsch was arrested in Center City for drugs and weapons, and has since expanded to involve at least two missing persons cases.
It's unknown at this time what exactly detectives are searching for in the yard.
Eugene Horsch: Federal charges brought against man in Philadelphia drugs, weapons investigation
The 44-year-old man at the center of an ongoing drugs and weapons investigation that led to a search of a Philadelphia home, is facing new federal charges.
The backstory:
Horsch was arrested in Center City in June after officers found him and another woman inside a vehicle with drugs, two loaded guns, and a fake DEA badge. He was charged with drugs and weapons crimes.
The encounter led investigators to a home on Chew Avenue where they made several unsettling discoveries, including guns, ammunition, and drugs. A 55 gallon drum attached to water lines, and various chemicals in bottles were also found.
New details: Philadelphia man with prior convictions charged after guns, fake DEA badge found in car
An affidavit was submitted in support of a criminal complaint and arrest warrant for Eugene Albert Horsch, alleging possession of firearms by a convicted felon in violation of federal law.
Agents also discovered fake federal identification, computers, and more than 120 pieces of so-called ballistic evidence.
Court documents obtained by FOX 29 News show Horsch was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and another count of possession of an unlawfully produced document and authentication feature.
What they're saying:
Philadelphia Inquirer Investigative reporter Barbara Laker joined Good Day Philadelphia to share what she and her team have learned about the ongoing investigation, including a link to a missing woman who was previously married to Horsch's father.
Laker says investigators discovered "a significant amount" of blood inside the Chew Avenue property. Testing is currently underway to determine if the blood is human or from an animal.
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West Chew Ave Home Central to Missing Amy McHale Case
Nearly a decade after Philadelphia grandmother Amy McHale vanished without a trace, new developments could shed light on her disappearance. Fox 29's Mike Jerrick and Alex Holley spoke with investigative reporter Barbara Laker about the evidence uncovered during a recent search tied to 44-year-old Eugene Horsch and what it could mean for Amy's family as the investigation continues.
Detectives also plan on excavating the yard as part of their investigation, according to Laker. Authorities did not find bodies in the home as was previously speculated, but investigators did find letters and notes that reference ways to dispose of bodies.
Laker added that Horsch's father wrote horror fiction novels and movies, and investigators are working to determine if he was the one who penned the letters.
Amy McHale disappearance
Perhaps one of the most disturbing potential connections to the investigation is the disappearance of Amy McHale. Laker says McHale, who has been missing since 2016, was previously married to Horsch's father for a short period of time starting in 2004.
The couple lived together in Chalfont before splitting, when Horsch's father moved to the Chew Avenue house. McHale's family says they last heard from Amy, who they say battled drug and mental health issues, while she was at the Chew Avenue house in June 2016.
Laker says Horsch's father died in 2025, leaving questions about what exactly happened to McHale unanswered.
Investigators are also looking into another missing woman named Blair Tonzelli, whose name appeared on the fake ID of the woman who Horsch was stopped with in Center City. Tonzelli, Laker says, has been missing for three years.