Woman giving investigator ID with name of missing person on it leads to discovery of dead bodies on video, note mentioning Ted Bundy, cops say

A search of a suspicious vehicle in Pennsylvania has led to a sprawling investigation in which authorities believe they have found video evidence that two missing women are actually dead.

Eugene Horsch, 44, was arrested in June by the Philadelphia Police Department on gun and drug charges, including manufacturing, delivering, or possessing with intent to manufacture or deliver and possession of a prohibited firearm, according to court records.

The investigation has taken a drastic turn after officers suggested that evidence found at Horsch's home indicates far more severe crimes were carried out.

On June 19 at about 8 a.m., a federal park ranger was parking his vehicle at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, when he saw the driver of a black BMW "leaning into the back seat of his vehicle," per an affidavit reviewed by Law&Crime. The vehicle appeared to be parked illegally, so the officer approached.

As the ranger walked over, the driver — identified as Horsch — rolled down his window, and the officer could hear a woman's voice in the back seat say something to the effect of, "you're going to hurt me!"

Horsch apparently had "sores on his arms and face, which are common among illegal drug users," and the woman had "sores on her body and was moving in a twitchy and agitated manner consistent with illegal stimulant drug use." The defendant was also allegedly holding tweezers.

The officer asked him and the woman to give them their IDs.

"A records check confirmed the BMW was registered to [Horsch], however, the records check also established that the name the woman provided belonged to a missing person reported out of Philadelphia," the court document states. The officer asked Horsch to get out of the vehicle.

When the officer opened the driver's side door, Horsch reportedly "quickly reached under the driver's seat of the BMW." The park ranger's partner detained the suspect, patted him down, and allegedly found a switchblade and a glass drug pipe.

Inside the vehicle were a loaded Taurus G2S gun and a loaded FIE Arminius Titan Tiger revolver, the latter of which had an "obliterated" serial number, authorities said. The woman was also detained, at which time Horsch allegedly said, "they're not hers; she's a good girl."

Officers continued to search the vehicle, where they appeared to find crack cocaine, as well as "a cattle prod device," a "collapsible baton," and handcuffs. In the trunk was "a canvas bag with a DEA badge and a credential wallet with another DEA badge and ID cards showing [Horsch's] photograph and identifying him as DEA Agent 'Eugene Fredrick Steiner,'" authorities said.

Investigators noted that Horsch is not — nor has he ever been — employed by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Officers learned that Horsch is a convicted felon, having served time on drug charges and for aggravated assault.

He is charged in the U.S. Eastern District of Pennsylvania with possession of a firearm by a felon.

The search apparently proved to be a minor footnote in a major death investigation.

The Philadelphia Police Department went to Horsch's residence on the 400 block of West Chew Avenue in the city. There, detectives "recovered a substantial volume of digital evidence, including hundreds of thousands of images and videos," the department told Law&Crime. "During their review, investigators discovered recordings of two women who were shown alive and, in later footage, apparently deceased."

Those women were identified as Maribel Fresses, who was last seen in February 2018 at the age of 27, and Gabrielle Amarando, who disappeared in September 2012 at the age of 22.

"The Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office reviewed the material and advised that, provided the recordings are authentic and unaltered, the women depicted appear to be deceased," police added. "However, because their bodies or remains have not been recovered, neither woman can be conclusively declared deceased, and no cause or manner of death can be determined."

Philadelphia Police Inspector Ray Evers said at a press conference that while he would not get into the details of what he saw in the photos and videos, "it's dark, it's real dark."

Police added that they have been able to speak with other people seen in the videos, local ABC affiliate WPVI reported. Officers did not reveal what came of those conversations.

Authorities also stressed that given "the volume and complexity of the evidence," sifting through it all "is expected to take considerable time."

Authorities also reportedly found zip ties and a handwritten note mentioning serial killer Ted Bundy inside the home, as well as five urns in the home with apparent cremated remains inside, though it's unclear whose remains those are.

It does not appear that Eugene Horsch has been charged with anything related to the death investigation. In his federal case, he is due in court on Sept. 8.