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Philadelphia PD wraps up search at Olney home potentially linked to missing women
Philadelphia Police and federal investigators have concluded their weekslong investigation at a home in Olney.
PHILADELPHIA - Federal prosecutors on Thursday took over the ongoing case into Eugene Horsch, a Philadelphia man at the center of a guns and weapons investigation who may also be linked to at least two missing women.
What we know:
State charges against Horsch, 44, were dropped on Thursday, clearing the way for federal prosecutors to pick up the case.
Horsch has a court date scheduled for September, and he remains in federal custody, according to court documents.
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.
Olney property excavated following gun arrest and missing persons leads
Police are excavating a property in Olney as a major investigation into a resident expands to include potential leads on missing persons cases.
Agents also discovered fake federal identification, computers, and more than 120 pieces of so-called ballistic evidence. Authorities returned to the property over the last several weeks searching for evidence, including excavating part of the front yard.
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.
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Eugene Horsch: Detectives begin excavating yard of Olney home at center of ongoing investigation
Police began excavating the yard of a home at the center of a drugs and weapons investigation that may also involve two missing women.
As the investigation continued to unfold over the last several weeks, detectives began looking into Horsch's connection to two missing persons cases.
Amy McHale, who was previously married to Horsch's late father, has been missing since 2016. Blair Tonzelli, whose name appeared on the fake ID of the woman Horsch was stopped with in Center City, has been missing for several years.