Who is R.C. Horsch? Latest connections to Olney house investigation
As police continue to investigate tapes and other evidence found inside the Olney house in Philadelphia, more connections have been made to the work of late controversial photographer R.C. Horsch.
As investigations continue at the North Philadelphia Olney house now connected to at least two missing women, authorities and local news outlets are pointing questions in the direction of late photographer R.C. Horsch.
According to local reports, the home at the center of the investigation was shared by Eugene Horsch, 44, and his late father, Ray “R.C.” Horsch prior to his death in 2025.
A look into R.C. Horsch’s body of work shows erotic photography, adult films and various writings according to a web-archived biography on what claims to be his website, Eroto. The site is no longer active and, as of Tuesday afternoon, the web archive of the site does not appear to be functioning.
The site described Horsch as a “fugitive, sociopath, ex-convict and all-out villain.”
A handful of art blogs list Horsch’s work and compare him to the likes of Hans Bellmar and Robert Meplethorpe as “an example of an artist whose transgressive work is, nevertheless, unequivocally art.”
Books published in Horsch’s name have cover art images of women in restraints and in a cage. Another, still available online, “Empathy: The Memoir of an Empathetic Serial Killer,” was published in 2014. Recent reviews of the book, posted after news broke of the investigation, refer to it as a “confession” or “admission of guilt.”
But what happens when the former home of an artist known for erotic materials that push the genre of pornography and sado-masochism become the site of a police investigation that has uncovered photo and video evidence pointing to the apparent deaths of at least two missing women?
According to Philadelphia police, hundreds of thousands of photos and videos found in the home include those that appear to show two missing women alive then presumably deceased.
Investigators also found various chemicals, a 55-gallon drum, false identifications and urns in the home, police shared in a press conference.
Local news outlets have continued to draw connections between the investigation and Horsch’s body of work.
An anonymous police source told the Philadelphia Inquirer that authorities found a “snuff film” of Horsch strangling a woman.
The Philadelphia police declined to verify the claim or provide an update when asked by USA TODAY.
An August update from the Philadelphia Police Department noted that the investigation is ongoing and will take a “considerable time” given the volume and complexity of evidence.
The case was blown open following the traffic stop of Eugene Horsch, 44, in Center City, whose arrest led to a search warrant of the home.
Horsch is being held on charges unrelated to the missing women, namely weapons and false identification offenses.
Kaitlyn McCormick is a Philadelphia-based reporter writing all things trending, breaking and city-related for USA TODAY’s Philadelphia Metro Connect Team.