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This episode discusses an active criminal investigation. Some information presented is based on law-enforcement statements and reporting from multiple news organizations and may change as investigators review additional evidence. Eugene Horsch has not been charged with the deaths of the missing women discussed in this episode, and allegations should not be interpreted as findings of guilt.

A routine-sounding call near Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia turns into something far darker when a U.S. park ranger approaches a parked BMW and hears a woman say, “You’re gonna hurt me.” From there, investigators zero in on Eugene Horsch and a trail of reported evidence that escalates fast: illegal firearms, obliterated serial numbers, fraudulent federal law enforcement credentials, and links to a missing woman’s identification. What starts as a stop becomes a widening investigation that lands at a house on West Chew Avenue in the Olney neighborhood and refuses to stay contained. 

We walk through what police have publicly said they found during weeks of searches at the Chew Avenue property, including ammunition, narcotics, chemicals, containers, and urns believed to contain cremated remains, plus extensive digital media storage. Then we slow down and talk about the difficult context investigators have to untangle, including the history of Eugene’s father, Raymond Charles “RC” Horsch, whose background as a photographer, filmmaker, and writer involved sexually explicit and violent imagery. That context doesn’t excuse anything, but it matters when investigators must separate fictional shock material from potential documentation of real harm. 

The most gut-punching turn is digital forensics. Police report recovering roughly 600,000 images, 70,000 videos, and more than 10,000 pages of writings and drawings, while having reviewed only about 5% at the time of their latest update. Investigators say they identified missing women Maribel Fraces and Gabrielle on footage that appears to show them alive inside the house and later appearing deceased, opening a death investigation even though bodies have not been recovered. We talk about why proving a homicide without remains is so hard, why internet speculation can damage real cases, and what questions still have to be answered before anyone can responsibly claim they “know” what happened. 

If you care about ethical true crime, careful reporting, and following the facts where they lead, hit play, then subscribe, share the episode, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show. What’s the first question you want investigators to answer next?

Sources:

Philadelphia Police Department
Official statements and August 12–13, 2026 press briefing regarding the investigation, digital evidence, missing women, search warrants, and death investigation.
6abc / WPVI Action News
“Images from home on West Chew Avenue in Olney appeared to show 2 missing women dead, Philadelphia police say”
By 6abc Digital Staff, John Paul, Amanda Pitts and Elizabeth Worthington
August 13, 2026
6abc / WPVI Action News — Article
NBC10 Philadelphia
“‘Graphic' videos at Olney house show 2 missing women believed dead, police say”
By Emily Rose Grassi and David Charns
August 12–13, 2026
NBC10 Philadelphia — Article
CBS News Philadelphia
“‘Graphic and dark’ evidence found inside Olney home suggests 2 missing women are dead, Philadelphia police say”
By Laura Fay, Joe Holden, Tom Gardiner and CBS News Philadelphia staff
August 12, 2026
CBS News Philadelphia — Article
CBS News Philadelphia
“Detectives looked for evidence of wet cremation at house in Philadelphia's Olney neighborhood, sources say”
By Joe Holden
July 28, 2026
CBS News Philadelphia — Article
CBS News Philadelphia
“Police excavate pipes around house in Philadelphia's Olney neighborhood as investigation continues”
By Dan Snyder and Nate Sylves
July 22, 2026
CBS News Philadelphia — Article
CBS News Philadelphia
“Investigators likely looking for DNA in pipes at house on Chew Avenue in Philadelphia, expert says”
By Dan Snyder and Casey Kuhn
July 23, 2026
CBS News Philadelphia — Article
CBS News Philadelphia
“Grand Jury indicts Eugene Horsch after he was arrested with loaded guns, fake DEA and FBI badges”
By Alexandra Simon
July 9, 2026
CBS News Philadelphia — Article
CBS News Philadelphia
“Man charged after investigation uncovers ‘laboratory’ of chemicals, drugs and guns in Olney home, police say”
By Tom Ignudo
June 27, 2026
CBS News Philadelphia — Article
CBS News Philadelphia
“Missing Philadelphia woman's last known location was Olney home at center of complex investigation, family says”
By Tom Ignudo
June 28, 2026
CBS News Philadelphia — Article
The Philadelphia Inquirer
“Raymond Horsch's criminal past and obsession with violence weighs on investigations of Philly's missing women”
By Barbara Laker, Ryan W. Briggs, Max Marin and Ellie Rushing
August 2, 2026
Philadelphia Inquirer — Article
FOX 29 Philadelphia
“Photos show 2 deceased women in Philly home investigation: What we know”
August 13, 2026
FOX 29 Philadelphia — Article
PEOPLE
“‘Graphic and Dark’ Photos Show 2 Missing Women Seemingly Dead in Philly Home as Police Find 10,000 Pages of Drawings, Manuscripts”
August 2026
PEOPLE — Article
New York Post
“‘Graphic' videos found at Philly house of horrors show 2 missing women dead: ‘It's dark. It's real dark’”
August 13, 2026
New York Post — Article

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A handsome stranger moves into the New Orleans French Quarter, starts throwing the kind of dinner parties only the elite can access, and somehow becomes the toast of the town almost overnight. Then one woman ends up injured in the street after a desperate leap from his balcony, claiming she was bitten and barely escaped. By morning, the host is gone and the house is quiet, but the rumor he left behind is loud: police allegedly find bottles that are not filled with wine at all, but wine mixed with human blood.

We walk through the full New Orleans vampire legend of Jacques Saint Germain, including the address lore, the late-night strolls, the lavish hospitality, and the detail that makes everyone side-eye the whole thing: he never appears to eat, only to drink from an ornate chalice while he entertains the room. From there, we zoom out into the deeper paranormal history with the Count of Saint Germain, the 18th-century European enigma tied to royalty, secret societies, endless aliases, and persistent claims that he never really died. When the Count’s portrait looks uncannily like Jacques, it raises the question New Orleans does best: is this history repeating, or something hiding in plain sight?

We also talk about why stories like this turn darker when the alleged victim is someone society is quick to dismiss, and how that dismissal can shape the narrative just as much as any supernatural claim. If you love New Orleans lore, vampire mythology, Anne Rice vibes, and the blurred line between true crime and paranormal mystery, press play, then share your take with us. Subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find Hold My Sweet Tea.

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A quiet stretch of River Road in Ponchatoula, Louisiana doesn’t feel so quiet when a man disappears and the search turns into something far worse. We’re talking about James “Jimmy” Wood, 43, last seen on camera June 19 and reported missing days later after his keys and belongings are found at the house where he was living and remodeling. Months pass with more questions than leads, and the uncertainty becomes its own kind of heartbreak for everyone who loved him. 

This conversation is more unscripted than usual because the case is real-time and close to home. We explain what’s been publicly released, what we can’t share because it’s an active investigation, and what it’s like to look at a wooded area and realize how much a drone can miss when the trees are dense, the ground is hidden, and the Louisiana heat works against you. We also unpack why people saying “at least they have closure” can land wrong when the most important answers are still missing. 

When remains are discovered and later confirmed by DNA, the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office transitions the case into a homicide investigation, citing evidence of gunshots. That fact raises the stakes for the community and for anyone who might be sitting on a detail they’ve brushed off as “probably nothing.” 

If you care about true crime stories that prioritize victims and real outcomes, listen closely, share this episode, and help keep attention on Jimmy’s case. Subscribe, leave a review, and send it to one person who can amplify it.

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It's a Summerween Re-Mix!! 

We are dropping one of my favorite past Spooky Season Cases for your listening pleasure! 

A quiet college town. Freshmen hauling boxes into a new apartment. Parents doing that first-day check-in. Then, almost overnight, Gainesville becomes a place where people stop walking alone, roommates pile into the same living room to sleep, and every knock at the door feels loaded. We’re Pearl and the crew from Hold My Sweet Tea, and we’re telling the true story of Danny Rolling, the Gainesville Ripper, whose short spree in 1990 shattered five young lives and changed the University of Florida community forever. 

We dig into Rolling’s background and the long chain of escalation: a childhood ruled by violence and shame, years of drifting crime, and a shift from “peeping” to obsession and control. From the earlier Shreveport murders to the Gainesville attacks, the details reveal a chilling pattern, including forced entry, careful cleanup, and crime scenes staged with a slasher-film brutality that felt almost “designed” to be remembered. We also talk about the fear that spreads faster than facts, the media frenzy, and why investigators suspected they were dealing with someone experienced long before a name was attached. 

Then the case turns on a break that feels painfully ordinary: an unrelated arrest, property found in the woods, disturbing recordings, and DNA that finally locks the truth into place. We also unpack the unsettling link to pop culture and how the Gainesville murders helped inspire the tone behind Scream, reminding us that the scariest stories aren’t always invented. 

If you’re into true crime, criminal psychology, and the real history behind horror movies, hit play, then share this with a friend, leave a review, and message us your favorite scary movie or a story you want us to read on the pod.

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Summer is at it's PEAK and our job is all consuming.  Please come with us as we revisit a past episode that could use a little more attention.  Fret not we will return soon!  

A crowded New Orleans nightclub, a sudden death, and a story that seems to evaporate almost as soon as it hits the news. We’re going back to 2015 and the suspicious death of Dan Betancourt Jr., a former bartender at the Oz Nightclub on Bourbon Street, found unresponsive in the early morning hours during Southern Decadence weekend. Friends describe Dan as social, funny, and steady, which makes the official framing of him as “uncontrollably irate” feel like a record scratch that demands a closer look.

We walk through what’s publicly known: Dan’s last hours, the claim that he was restrained and possibly placed in a headlock by a former coworker, and the confusing shift from “fight or disturbance” to “medical call” to a situation that briefly draws homicide detective attention. We also dig into the details that don’t sit right, like how a packed French Quarter bar ends up with key moments not on surveillance footage, and why a case with this many potential witnesses winds up with so little follow-up reporting.

Then we get into the coroner’s early findings, including the note about no gross anatomical trauma and a possible cardiac abnormality, plus the toxicology results that are described as pending and then seemingly disappear from the public narrative. If you care about true crime, cold cases, and accountability in New Orleans investigations, this one is a reminder that silence isn’t the same thing as closure.

If you know anything about what happened at the Oz that night, we share how to report it. Subscribe, share this with someone who loves New Orleans true crime, and leave a review so more people hear Dan’s name and this case gets another look.

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**Correction: In the episode, I made a statement that Paris Bennett is now in his mid twenties. I meant to say mid thirties. 

Paris Bennett's first parole eligibility date is February 2027. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison in 2007, with the possibility of parole after serving 20 years, which makes February 2027 his first opportunity to be considered for release.

If he is never granted parole, his sentence would end in February 2047, when he would be approximately 53 years old. 

Now for the Episode Description:

A 13-year-old boy. A 4-year-old girl. One choice that feels so deliberate it rewires how you think about “kids will be kids.” We’re talking about Paris Bennett, a teenager described as gifted, polite, and charming, who murdered his little sister Ella not in a sudden burst of rage, but as a strategy to emotionally destroy their mother, Charity Lee.

We walk through the timeline of the night of February 4, 2007, including how Paris manipulates the babysitter into leaving, what investigators believe happened after Ella fell asleep, and why the 911 call still chills people who study true crime, psychology, and criminal behavior. Then we dig into the harder layer: motive. Paris later admits the point wasn’t really Ella, it was punishment, jealousy, and control. That forces uncomfortable questions about empathy, emotional detachment, and what “remorse” even means when someone can describe violence with an almost academic calm.

From there, we look at the juvenile justice reality under Texas law: no death penalty, no life without parole, and a sentence that creates a real parole eligibility window. We also talk about the Piers Morgan interview, the “wolf inside” comment, and why even Charity, who still loves her son, says she fears for her life and her other child’s safety if he’s released.

Listen, then tell us where you land: can a child with psychopathic traits be rehabilitated, or is public safety the only answer? If this conversation hits you, subscribe, share the episode, and leave us a review so more listeners can join the debate.

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A cemetery that doesn’t exist on any map should be easy to avoid. The problem is Saint Lazarus Cemetery doesn’t wait for you to find it. It finds you, right when the Mississippi fog rolls in and the church bell dares to ring thirteen times. 

We’re Pearl and Holly, and we’re serving a fresh piece of original horror fiction set in New Orleans, the perfect city for a supernatural urban legend with teeth. Simone and her friends think they’re just walking the Garden District before midnight, until an iron gate appears across the street with a warning stamped in rust: “The dead remember every promise.” One step past the threshold, the noise of the city drops away and the cemetery turns into a silent marble maze of mausoleums that feel more like houses than graves. 

From there, the story escalates fast: crypt doors swing open, grey-skinned figures watch without blinking, and a little girl clutching a headless porcelain doll asks one question that echoes from every shadow. When an eerie woman in white explains that these aren’t tombs at all, but doors, the nightmare shifts from haunted to hungry. And just when dawn makes it feel like escape is possible, Mardi Gras proves the city of the dead has a long memory. 

If you love New Orleans horror, Southern Gothic vibes, creepy cemetery folklore, and short scary stories with a final sting, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves spooky fiction, and leave us a review. What part of Saint Lazarus would haunt you the most?

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You can tell a lot about a true crime show by how it handles laughter. We start by addressing listener feedback about our humor and why we refuse to confuse coping with disrespect. We take victims seriously, we treat families carefully, and we do not extend courtesy to convicted killers just because they exist in a courtroom transcript. That boundary matters before we step into a topic as visceral as cannibalism.

From there, we share a headline out of Budapest, Hungary: a hospital worker accused of stealing human remains and preparing them as meals. The details are stomach turning, and the case sets up a bigger question about access, oversight, and how quickly a “normal” job can become a pipeline for the unthinkable. It is the kind of real-world horror story that reminds you this is not just legend or internet creepypasta.

Then we move to Maryland and the listener requested case: Joe Metheny, a Baltimore serial killer convicted of two murders who claimed he mixed victim flesh into barbecue sandwiches sold at a roadside stand. We walk through what is documented, what he confessed, and what police could not firmly prove, including the investigation timeline, forensic anthropology findings, and the legal mechanics of sentencing. We also ask the uncomfortable questions the case forces on anyone who loves true crime: what’s fact, what’s fabrication, and why do some offenders brag when the truth is already monstrous?

If this grabbed you, subscribe, share the episode with a friend who can handle it, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show.

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You probably know the images even if you’ve never learned the name. The Rider-Waite tarot deck is the visual backbone of modern tarot, and it didn’t become iconic because people memorized esoteric theory. It became iconic because the art tells the story at a glance. We’re diving into the life and legacy of Pamela Colman Smith, the illustrator who drew all 78 cards by hand and somehow still ended up as the “invisible” woman behind one of the most recognized occult objects in history. 

We talk about how tarot works as symbolism and visual storytelling, from the major arcana everyone recognizes (yes, even the misunderstood Death card) to the minor arcana that can echo a standard deck of playing cards. Then we zoom out into the strange, dramatic world that shaped the deck: Victorian-era occultism, secret societies, and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, where ritual, coded meaning, and theatrical vibes weren’t a costume, they were a lifestyle. 

From there, we get specific about what makes Pamela’s work hit so hard. Her scenes feel like dreams staged on a theater set, emotionally alive without being overexplained. We break down why her women feel powerful across the deck, especially in cards like The High Priestess, and why that resonance lasts for generations of tarot readers. And we don’t dodge the frustrating part: the deck goes world famous while the artist’s credit fades into the background. 

If you’ve ever owned a tarot deck, used a tarot app, or felt pulled toward tarot symbolism, this one’s for you. Subscribe, share the episode with a friend who loves tarot history, and leave a review so more people can find Pamela’s name. What’s the first tarot card image you remember?

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New Orleans loves a legend, but we’re not interested in the souvenir version. We’re talking about Marie Laveau as a real woman in 1800s Louisiana: a free woman of color navigating slavery, racism, class power, and public fear while building influence that people still whisper about today. If you’ve only heard “voodoo queen” and pictured Hollywood witchcraft, we pull that apart and put the history back where it belongs.

We trace how New Orleans voodoo grows from survival and resistance, including the aftermath of the Haitian Revolution and the way enslaved communities used Catholic saints as a coded spiritual language. We also dig into the overlooked details that explain her reach: working as a hairdresser to the elite, hearing the secrets people spill when they think they’re safe, and understanding that perception can be its own kind of power. When yellow fever and failing systems leave the poor behind, Marie’s legacy shows up in care, remedies, and the kind of leadership that doesn’t need permission.

Then we ask the uncomfortable question: what happens when society can’t explain a woman’s competence? Too often, it calls her supernatural, turns her into “other,” and sells the aesthetic while erasing the matriarch. If you care about Marie Laveau history, New Orleans culture, voodoo myths, and the politics of who gets labeled a witch, this one is for you.

Listen, share with a friend who loves Southern Gothic history, and leave us a review. And send us your own story at Hold my sweet tea podcast at gmail.com.