Investigators scouring sewers below Philly house of horrors for possible traces of DNA, dangerous chemicals

Key Points:

• Investigators are searching the sewers beneath a Philadelphia house linked to felon Eugene Horsch for DNA and chemicals possibly used to dissolve bodies, amid probes into two missing women connected to the site.
• Police found dangerous chemicals, firearms, drugs, and a 55-gallon drum rigged to a water line in Horsch’s dilapidated Olney home, prompting involvement from the local water department to assist with the underground search.
• A disturbing handwritten note referencing a “drum set up” and threats was discovered in the home, along with 120 pieces of ballistics evidence and narcotics; the letter also mentioned serial killer Ted Bundy, though its authorship remains unclear.
• The investigation began after a US park ranger overheard an argument between Horsch and his girlfriend, who was found with a fake ID bearing the name of a woman reported missing since February 2023; Horsch was arrested on firearms and drug charges.
• The case has raised concerns from families of missing persons, including Philadelphia mother Amy McHale, last heard from in 2016 at the Olney home formerly owned by Horsch’s late father, who had a criminal history involving drug manufacturing and exploitation of vulnerable women.