Month: September 2026

By Joe Holden

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    OLNEY, Pennsylvania (KYW) — Raymond “R.C.” Horsch, who lived at the so-called “house of horrors” in Philadelphia’s Olney neighborhood until he died in 2025, was as intelligent as he was a monster and preyed on vulnerable women, many of whom struggled with addiction, law enforcement sources said.

Dr. Geri-Lynn Utter, a licensed clinical psychologist who grew up in Kensington, said her review of the case reveals Horsch was a predator with a pattern of sadistic sexual behavior and violence.

“He is an individual that has a history of anger, a seething anger that brews in the background all the time,” Utter said. “He is also someone who likes to be in control.”

On Wednesday, Philadelphia police announced that seven women in total have been linked to the home Horsch lived in at 417 West Chew Ave.

Five of them, including Gabrielle Amarando, are feared dead based on video evidence reviewed by police. In one video, police allege Horsch strangled a woman with a zip tie.

A photo of Amarando now lies on the top step at 417 West Chew Avenue with a message: “Gabby, your family loves you so much. We are always here for you.”

Outside the Olney home, the mood was filled with sadness and distress.

Diane Maddox brought the flowers meant for her own mother’s grave and placed them instead beneath crime scene tape at the Olney home.

Diane Maddox brought the flowers meant for her own mother’s grave and placed them instead beneath crime scene tape at the Olney home.

“Unfortunately, this is a preying ground for people who are sociopaths, generally speaking, and want to hurt women,” Utter said.

It’s unclear when Philadelphia police will provide another update. An attorney for Eugene Horsch has declined to comment.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Jennifer McLogan

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    LONG ISLAND, New York (WCBS) — The ground beneath a Long Island woman opened up, swallowing her into the earth below.

Danielle Tammone spent several terrifying minutes in a hole in her quiet residential Bohemia backyard Thursday.

Tammone said she suddenly found herself 8 feet underground in her backyard. Her dog Daisy anxiously looked on.

She screamed for help, asking if anyone was there.

“People suffocate and they die, so I thought that at first,” she said.

It happened on her 47th birthday. Tammone thinks she was trapped for about 30 minutes.

“It’s my birthday. This might be my death date,” Tammone said. “I couldn’t breathe well, because I was gasping, and scared and crying.”

Tammone said she wasn’t sure if she had been swallowed into a water well, cesspool or sump.

“I was trying to put my legs up to get out, but the stone was crumbling down,” she said.

Fortunately, her screams and cries for help were heard by neighbors. One neighbor happened to walk onto her porch as another was getting into her car. They both heard the screams and came running.

“The two women, Maggie and Christine,” Tammone said.

“At first, we thought she was in the shed or something. We were not looking on the ground,” Christine Chanowsky said.

Initially, they couldn’t figure out where her cries for help were coming from.

“And they said keep screaming, don’t stop screaming,” Tammone said.

Their discovery of Tammone was caught on video.

“Oh my God, she fell into the ground,” one said. “We are on the phone with 911.”

“You’re going to be fine, Danielle. They are on their way,” said the other.

Emergency responders used a ladder to get through mud, water and roots to rescue Tammone.

“Firemen, cops, ambulance, special unit, EMTs – they were wonderful,” she said. “I was tearing up. I was crying. As soon as she got out of the hole, just gave her the biggest hug,” Chanowsky said.

Tammone, a licensed physical therapist, is now working on her own recovery. Despite whiplash and pulled muscles, Tammone said she is overcome with gratitude.

“And they all sang happy birthday to me. It was great,” Tammone said.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Paul Burton

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    BOSTON (WBZ) — Former Methuen, Massachusetts, police chief Joseph Solomon pleaded guilty to the 17 charges read against him including perjury and fraud on Friday inside Essex Superior Court. The 65-year-old was sentenced to two and a half years in the House of Corrections, 30 days to serve, and the balance suspended for three years.

“This gives certainty and finality for the cloud that has hung over not only the Methuen Police Department, but the entire community,” said Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker. “That ends today.”

Prosecutors say he misused his position as chief to appoint unqualified police officers and tried to cover up the lack of qualifications. Solomon, whose salary was $183,000 a year, will also forfeit his city pension, his license to carry a firearm, and his private investigator’s license.

“This notion of 30 days served in my opinion is an outrage. However, we are at a place where we are achieving accountability for the crimes that have been committed,” said Methuen Mayor D.J. Beauregard. “I will say, regarding the pension, as I stated previously, this is anticipated to save the city millions of dollars.”

This all dates back to 2015, when Solomon was Methuen’s police chief. Prosecutors say he repeatedly used his position to undermine the law for his own benefit including hiring six part-time officers and then appointing them to full-time department roles.

“The defendant gave these full-time intermittent positions to persons with family and political connections, to employees of the defendant’s personal business,” a prosecutor said.

Solomon pleaded guilty to two counts of perjury by written affidavit, seven counts of obtaining unwarranted privileges in violation of civil service laws, six counts of civil service law violations, uttering a forged document, and procurement fraud.

Solomon was police chief from 2002 to 2021. On Friday, his family left the courthouse without saying a word.

“This closes a very dark chapter in the history of the Methuen Police Department,” said acting Methuen Police Chief James Moore.

The city plans to use every legal avenue possible to try and recover the $1 million in funds already paid out to Solomon from his pension, but gave no indication how long that would take.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.