Bones found at Philadelphia home at center of missing women investigation: Sources

PHILADELPHIA -- Bones have been recovered from a Philadelphia home at the center of an investigation involving several missing women, sources told our sister station WPVI-TV.

Sources said the Medical Examiner's Office was called Thursday to recover bones from the home in Philadelphia's Olney section. Sources said the condition and origin of the remains are not yet known.

The bones will be sent to a laboratory for forensic examination to determine whether they are human and, if so, whether they may be connected to the ongoing investigation.

A safe was also found behind a wall, according to sources.

Crews began excavating in the backyard of the home on Tuesday, looking for evidence linked to several missing women.

So far, seven missing or unidentified women have been tied to the home through videos and images recovered during the investigation. However, authorities have not recovered any bodies.

SEE ALSO | Timeline of investigation into missing women connected to Horsch Philly house

Piles of dirt were placed on tarps, transferred into buckets and carefully sifted under a tent as crews searched for potential evidence.

On Monday night, investigators worked into the late hours using luminol, a chemical that can reveal traces of blood not visible to the naked eye.

RELATED: Investigators use luminol inside Olney home as search for evidence linked to missing women continues

Police sources said that investigators observed a positive reaction during the luminol testing, prompting the need for additional forensic analysis.

The home once belonged to the late violent pornographer Raymond "R.C." Horsch and his son Eugene.

Last week, investigators began dismantling portions of the property, tearing into walls and floors while removing large pieces of evidence, including laboratory equipment and containers from the basement.

RELATED | Horsch case: Phase 2 in extensive search of Olney home tied to missing Philadelphia women begins

R.C. Horsch died in 2025. Investigators have said he produced violent pornographic material depicting women, and detectives are now working to determine what may have been staged and what may have documented real events.

A total of seven women have now been linked to the sprawling and ongoing investigation centered on a home in Philadelphia's Olney neighborhood.

Eugene Horsch was arrested in June on federal firearms and drug charges. The arrest led investigators to the home, where they initially found chemicals, five urns and more than a million pieces of digital evidence.

He has not been charged in connection with the missing women investigation.

The search and forensic examination of the property remain ongoing.