New photos surface in ongoing investigation of missing Philadelphia women
CHALFONT, Pa. -- New photos have been handed over to law enforcement as authorities continue to investigate Eugene Horsch, his late father, Raymond "R.C." Horsch, and their home in Philadelphia.
The case, which has gripped the nation, started with a car stop in June, then led investigators to a home in Philadelphia, and then to a home in Chalfont, Bucks County, where R.C. Horsch lived at one point.
READ MORE | Neighbors recall Horsch family's past as investigation grows into home linked to missing women
When Dave Speldos, who now living in Las Vegas, heard Horsch's name in the news, he was immediately taken back to 2010.
"It was very eye-opening to hear that name and to really put myself there again, and to know that that was a place I've been," Speldos said.
Speldos said he will never forget the Chalfont home, where R.C. Horsch lived until July 2009, when he was arrested after a marijuana grow operation was discovered in his basement.
"That house had just a presence about it that stuck with me for years. And for that reason, I kept all the photos," he explained. "I've seen meth labs and hoarder houses, you name it. But the Horsch house has really just ingrained itself."
READ MORE | Timeline of investigation into missing women connected to Horsch Philly house
After investigators cleared the home and it went into foreclosure, Speldos said they were brought in to preserve it. It was November 2010, and Speldos was a contractor working for Defuso Property Preservation in Berks County. His former boss, Frank Defuso, confirmed his employment with our sister station WPVI-TV in Philadelphia.
"The whole purpose of property preservation is to take bank-owned assets that are foreclosed on, secure them, and basically make it so that the house could be resold," Speldos explained.
Speldos said the home wasn't only filthy; it was sickening. He was tasked with securing the property and cleaning it. But first, he had to photograph it to protect from liability.
"One of our biggest jobs was to make sure everything was photographed before and after," he said. "Every room needed to be shown in a way that you could deter any liabilities."
He photographed piles of wigs and women's underwear, a box of sex toys, and mannequins that were anatomically correct.
He said what he found most disturbing was a plaster mold of a body, with a knife in the back.
In the basement, Speldos documented the pots left behind from the grow operation.
He said there was one feature of the basement that stood out to him.
"A kind of old and in disrepair vault door, almost like a panic room. It was a full-size vault that you could almost walk in," Speldos explained.
Police are reviewing thousands of pages of writings, manuscripts and drawings by R.C. Horsch as part of an ongoing investigation, authorities said.
WPVI-TV reporter Bryanna Gallagher reported on that vault last week, when the current homeowners showed her the home. The homeowners had it sealed off.
Speldos has now handed over his photos to local police and the FBI. All these years later, he says he wishes he could have done more.
READ MORE | Police review writings linked to 'R.C.' Horsch as part of missing women investigation in Olney
"I honestly could have done a better job of maybe saying, 'No, police department, you really need to go back and take a look at this'," he said.
WPVI-TV reached out to the FBI to see if the Chalfont home is part of their investigation. They were referred to the Philadelphia Police Department.
The FBI and Philadelphia Police were asked about the Chalfont home at a press conference last week. They said they're aware of it but haven't investigated it yet.
