Was the man at the centre of the Philadelphia serial killer investigation secretly cooperating with federal authorities? And what did investigators know about R.C. Horsch years before seven missing women were linked to his home?

In a stunning development in the Philadelphia serial killer case, newly unsealed federal court records reveal that Raymond "R.C." Horsch provided information to federal prosecutors about child sex trafficking, drug trafficking, and fraud in exchange for a reduced prison sentence.

In 2009, Horsch was arrested twice. First, he was accused of attempting to lure a nine-year-old girl into his vehicle in Kensington, Philadelphia. Just four months later, police raided his home in Chalfont, Pennsylvania, discovering 455 marijuana plants, illegal firearms, and disturbing photographs and videos involving women.

Horsch initially faced a lengthy federal prison sentence. But in 2012, prosecutors negotiated a deal after he supplied information about criminal activity, including crimes against children. Ultimately, he received just four and a half years.

Now, as Philadelphia police and the FBI investigate the disappearances of seven women connected to Horsch's former home on Chew Avenue in Olney, these newly disclosed records raise troubling questions.

What did federal authorities know about Horsch's activities? Why was his information considered valuable? Did anyone connect the evidence recovered in 2009 with the allegations involving vulnerable women in Kensington? And could opportunities to investigate his activities have been missed?

Every Monday, I bring you inside my ongoing investigation of the Philadelphia serial killer case—what I've discovered, what's changed, and what I'm still trying to figure out.

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