Chemicals, ammo and drugs found after investigation into Olney home, Philadelphia police say
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Multiple law enforcement agencies, including Philadelphia police homicide detectives and the FBI, are conducting an investigation after chemicals, ammunition and drugs were found inside a home in Olney.
According to court documents, 44-year-old Eugene Horsch is in custody on drug and firearms charges.
Chopper 6 was over the scene on the 400 block of West Chew Avenue on Friday.
Police and FBI agents could be seen outside the home.
Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore said in a news conference that the investigation began around 9 a.m. on Friday, June 19, when a park ranger came across a disturbance involving a man and a woman inside a black BMW in the 600 block of Market Street on Independence Mall.
"When he's addressing the occupants, he hears what he believes the female to say, 'you're going to hurt me,'" Vanore said.
That causes the ranger to investigate further, Vanore said. At that point, investigators say, Horsch was found to be in possession of what turned out to be fake DEA credentials.
The woman, meanwhile, allegedly gave officers an ID with her photo but the name of a woman who had been reported missing.
The woman who was with Horsch said Horsch gave her the identification, Vanore said.
Vanore did not offer any details about the missing woman and said there is no evidence at this time that the missing woman was in the Chew Avenue house.
RELATED | Missing woman's family says she was last seen at Olney home where police found chemicals, weapons
"Right now, I don't have anything that points to the fact, other than he had enough information about her to create another identification with another woman's photo and her name and make it look like it was the other person," Vanore said.
Two guns were also found in the car, Vanore said, both of which had obliterated serial numbers.
The investigation led officers to the Chew Avenue address, where they discovered another gun and more than 120 pieces of ballistics evidence, Vanore said.
Narcotics were also found, Vanore said, and police say there was evidence that Horsch was attempting to grow or produce narcotics on his own.
Meanwhile, a large number of various chemicals were found in the basement. While it's not yet known what the chemicals were for, Vanore said investigators have determined that if some of them were put together they could be dangerous if ignited.
Officials say the sheer quantity of chemicals found on the property raised red flags.
The items in the basement included a 55-gallon drum and connections to water lines. Vanore called it a "strange setup."
"We just don't know what he was doing," Vanore said. "If he's producing something, if he's making something, if he's irrigating something, we don't know."
Vanore also addressed rumors that there were bodies inside the home. He said, at this point, no bodies have been found.
He went on to say that homicide detectives were involved because they are the department's most experienced investigators.
He did say some urns were found in the house, and one is labeled with a family member's name.
"So they could be just family members' urns, we don't know," Vanore said.
Horsch is a convicted felon who is being held on charges related to the guns and the amount of narcotics allegedly in his possession, Vanore said.
Horsch's attorney, Jerry Brown, said his client's father lived in the home for a long time and had "a very interesting past" and he "thinks a lot of the chemistry stuff is [Horsch's] father's."
Brown believes police will find the items harmless.
