Olney home investigation: Victim's family upset over investigation details, public disclosure
Olney missing women case: Families upset by public disclosure
Families voice anger over public disclosure of a missing women investigation linked to Eugene Horsch's Olney home as police review digital evidence.
PHILADELPHIA - Authorities are expanding their investigation into several missing women linked to Eugene Horsch and his late father, after police say Horsch was arrested in Center City and evidence was found at his Olney home.
More than one million digital files have been recovered from the West Chew Avenue property, and investigators say only about 30 percent has been reviewed. Nicole Fusaro, 27 when she disappeared in 2018, was recently identified by police as one of the women connected to the investigation after her family was notified about her death.
Family anger over investigation details and public disclosure
Nicole Fusaro’s cousin, Jonathan Halloran-Koren, said he is upset about how the family learned details about her case.
Halloran-Koren said he and his mother were privately notified by police detectives in New Jersey, but later heard more graphic information during a news conference a few hours later.
"I went through a fit of rage, sadness," said Halloran-Koren. "There is no investigatory reason to give the detail he did about the strangulation of my cousin," said Halloran-Koren, addressing his criticism to Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore.
Philadelphia Police said in a statement the department "provided an update on the broader investigation but did not publicly identify either of the two additional women. This was consistent with requests made by their families during the official next-of-kin notification process."
Halloran-Koren has started a petition to expand the FBI's role and has reached out to Mayor Cherelle Parker and City Council, pushing for more consideration for victims' families. "I want to know every victim that he had and be able to bring some type of closure to that family," said Halloran-Koren.
Expanding evidence and search efforts at the Olney home
Philadelphia police searched the Olney property on West Chew Avenue after Horsch was arrested in June on weapons and drug charges.
Investigators say they recovered weapons, chemicals, drug-related evidence, urns, and a massive amount of digital material. The collection includes more than 600,000 images, 70,000 videos and 10,000 pages of writing.
Authorities have identified 58 people in the evidence, with five women appearing lifeless in digital material, according to police.
The investigation now links seven women to the case. Police say another search of the Horsch property is planned before the end of September.
Neighbors in the Olney community have expressed shock as the investigation unfolds.
Ricky Mai, a resident for more than thirty years, said, "I couldn't believe it. I have been here all these years, it was nice and quiet, I didn't hear nothing, now all of sudden everything pops off," Mai told FOX 29.
Nicole Fusaro disappeared in 2018, and investigators believe video evidence recovered from the Horsch home shows her being strangled by Raymond Horsch, according to police. Fusaro's body has not been recovered.
The investigation has also linked Amy McHale and Blair Tonzelli—both missing for several years—to the Olney property, police say.
Federal prosecutors charged Eugene Horsch with firearms and fake ID offenses, separate from the missing women investigation. No one has been charged in the deaths of any missing women, according to police. Digital evidence reviewed so far reportedly shows five women appearing lifeless.
Timeline:
Eugene Horsch was arrested during an altercation in Center City three months ago, which led investigators to his Olney property, authorities say.
Police began excavating the home in June after his arrest on weapons and drug charges. Since then, digital evidence and links to missing women have continued to surface, with additional searches and reviews ongoing.
Horsch investigation timeline: Everything we know about Philadelphia missing women investigation
It's been three months since Eugene Horsch was arrested during an altercation in Center City, launching a sprawling investigation into the 44-year-old, his late father, and their Olney home that police have linked to several missing women.
Investigators are planning another search of the Horsch property before the end of September. Police say their review of the collected digital evidence is ongoing and they are still working to determine what happened to the women connected to the case.
What we don't know:
Police say no human remains have been found at the Horsch property, and officials have not publicly confirmed the causes or manners of the deaths of missing women connected to the investigation.
The Source: This article contains information from the Philadelphia Police Department and previous FOX 29 reports.