FBI and Philadelphia police end three-week search of Olney home linked to seven missing women

A three-week search by federal agents and Philadelphia police of a house on Chew Avenue in Olney, which authorities have tied to seven women who disappeared, came to an end Friday, FOX 29 reported.

CBS Philadelphia likewise reported that investigators formally concluded their work at the site Friday, following weeks of looking for signs of human remains.

No human bones turned up, though searchers did recover many animal bones from the backyard, law enforcement sources told FOX 29. One source told the station that the teams, which combed both the interior and the yard, came across "a lot of things of interest."

FOX 29 identified the homeowner as Eugene Horsch, 44. Police stopped him in a vehicle in Old City in June and took him into custody, and that encounter pointed investigators toward the Olney residence, the station reported. Authorities allege he had drugs and guns with him when he was stopped. He is being held in federal custody on charges stemming from that arrest, according to FOX 29. Neither outlet reported charges against him in connection with the missing women.

Back in June, at the outset of the case, investigators took computers and hard drives from the house holding upward of one million photos and video files, FOX 29 reported. Based on their review of that material, authorities now think five of the seven women have died, according to the station. Investigators said Friday that the on-site evidence collection was finished, with the earlier digital material already examined.

During the search, workers wearing hazmat suits were spotted at the house, and crews dug through the yard's soil using both heavy equipment and their hands, FOX 29 reported. By Friday, crews were packing up gear, and the yard had been cleared and flattened.

Relatives of one missing woman have placed a picture of her outside the house, the station reported.

According to FOX 29, no human remains have been located at the home, and it remains unclear what became of all seven women or where they are. CBS Philadelphia's report raised the question of the case's next steps without describing them.

Some neighbors say the search has left them uneasy. A resident who gave her name only as Mary told FOX 29, "It's pretty scary. It's really scary and I hope they get everything." She also voiced concern for children who walk to school nearby and said she would like to see the building demolished.

Compiled by True News from reporting by CBS Philadelphia and FOX 29 Philadelphia. Each outlet's original story is linked below.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/419