Good morning, Philly. Temperatures may creep into the mid-80s this afternoon, with a slight chance of storms overnight.
Today, we start with an unsettling development in a sweeping Olney missing persons investigation that continually raises more questions than answers. Police found photo evidence of two more lifeless women in their ongoing investigation into violent pornographer Raymond Horsch and his son, Eugene.
Then, we’ll take a journey along South Jersey’s most dangerous roadways, as analyzed by The Inquirer.
Plus, we cover a strange incident at a No ICE in Philly meeting, and more news of the day.
— Laura Benshoff (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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And then there were seven.
Philadelphia police on Wednesday said investigators had recovered images from the home of Raymond “R.C.” Horsch — the now-deceased pornographer, illicit drugmaker, and chemist — that appeared to show two more dead women. It was the most significant update since police began poring over more than a million photos, videos, and pieces of writing found inside the house a month ago.
Despite the major announcement, there was a haunting lack of answers in the update. No remains have been recovered from the house and the two additional women’s names were not released.
Police also officially confirmed details of one videotaped death first reported by The Inquirer last month.
Read The Inquirer’s Ellie Rushing, Max Marin, Ryan Briggs, and Barbara Laker.
And, if you need helping keeping track of updates to this case, we have a timeline for you.
If you’ve ever white-knuckled the steering wheel taking Route 42 down to the Shore, or while driving north along I-76 into Philly, the next fact might not surprise you.
The tangled interchange where these two meet I-295 has recorded some of the highest rates of fatal accidents in the region, according to a new Inquirer analysis.
Our newsroom looked into 330 fatal crashes in South Jersey between 2019 and July 2026 to identify the corridors that were most crash-prone, and to figure out what about their design makes them so deadly.
Indeed, the geography of the road often bears some blame, according to Chris Pollard of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission. Highways such as I-76 with tricky merges, heavy congestion, and sharp bends are more likely to be fatal than calmer sections of road.
The Inquirer’s Sarah Nicell and Lizzie Mulvey break down the other hot spots here.
What you should know today
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Philadelphia police are investigating how their civil affairs officers ended up monitoring a peaceful meeting of the activist group No ICE Philly, an occurrence some attendees found intimidating.
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Experts say a federal judge’s recent call to investigate Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner and one of his deputies could have political as well as legal ramifications for the office.
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Philly’s political parties just got more powerful, per a new city board of ethics policy that interprets a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision.
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A prominent Center City personal injury attorney, who has a significant following on TikTok as “Tommy the Lawyer,” has been charged in a domestic violence dispute.
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Planned Parenthood clinics in Pennsylvania are now offering care for menopause, including hormone replacement therapy, to try to replace money lost due to funding cuts targeting abortion.
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An iconic Keith Haring mural in Point Breeze, We the Youth, is on track to become the first outdoor mural officially designated and as a protected landmark in the city’s history.
Updating a beloved library should be easy win for a local politician.
But as The Inquirer’s Nate File reports, Councilmember Jeffery Young Jr. got an earful from unhappy North Philly residents like Estremera, and community organizers like David Evans (pictured), at a meeting on Tuesday night.
🧠 Trivia time
Big Daddy Graham was an overnight host on what Philadelphia radio station?
A) KYW Newsradio
B) WMMR
C) 97.5 The Fanatic
D) 94 WIP
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re…
🍽️ Reviewing: The Blue Warbler in Chestnut Hill tries to be a lot of things: a day café, a neighborhood hub, and a trendy dinner spot, all while eschewing meat from its menu. Food critic Craig LaBan writes that it fulfills much of that tall order.
✈️ Ranking: For the sixth year in a row, Philadelphia International Airport ranked dead last among similarly sized airports, per JD Power. The Inquirer’s Ariana Perez-Castells says its aging buildings are to blame.
🏛️ Pondering: Despite its 150 years as a local institution, the Academy of Natural Sciences building is not historically protected. The Inquirer’s Michaelle Bond reports that fact surprised many in the conservation community.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: This Philadelphia institution saw around 6 million visitors last year.
A DETRIMENTAL REMARKING
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Roserita Fratoni, who correctly guessed Wednesday’s anagram: The Bear. Ceramicist Jono Pandolfi is selling cups and plates like those seen on the Hulu series for a limited time in Philly.
Photo of the day
This picture does a good job of capturing the feeling of being outdoors in this week’s nearly perfect weather.
👋 Thanks for spending some of your week with The Inquirer. Paola Pérez will be tapping in for me tomorrow. See you Monday!
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