‘Items of interest’ uncovered
Police return to the Leaside property where remains had previously been found
A coroner was called in and “items of interest” were removed from a Leaside property linked to Bruce McArthur, as investigators launched a second, more extensive excavation of the property where human remains have already been discovered.
In another phase of the sprawling investigation into the alleged serial killer, police investigators and a forensic an- thropologist descended on the home on Mallory Cres. Wednesday morning. Just hours into what may be a weeks-long excavation, they discovered potential evidence and the coroner’s office was called in.
Under the scorching afternoon sun, officers could be seen carrying what appeared to be a large, dark-coloured bag out of the ravine and loading it into a black van.
Police have not said what was located, but Toronto police spokesperson Meaghan Gray confirmed that “items of interest” were found.
No information will be released until testing is completed by the Ontario coroner’s office.
The grey home that backs onto a forested ravine has already played a central role in the probe into McArthur, who is charged with eight counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of men connected to Toronto’s Gay Village.
It was here where, just weeks after McArthur’s January arrest, investigators found dismembered human remains buried inside large planters on the property, where 66-year-old McArthur once worked and stored his landscaping equipment.
The remains have since been identified as those of seven men McArthur is alleged to have killed; the body of the eighth alleged victim, Majeed Kayhan, has not been found.
Officers strung yellow police tape around the home once again as the second excavation began, prompted by cadaver dogs that recently gave indications that further digging was necessary on multiple locations within the property
Karen Fraser, who owns the property with Ron Smith, said it’s terrible news to think there’s potentially “another victim found at my property.”
“You have a feeling that once you’re allowed back home it’s over. But here we are again, in uly,” she told the Star on Wednesday evening over the phone, as police were wrapping up the day’s investigation. She said the couple left for 22 days for initial investigations and now she’s not sure when they’ll be allowed back again. “I want (any remains) to be found, so their loved ones can know,” she said. At least a dozen officers from Toronto, the OPP and Durham regional police were seen coming and going throughout the day. Around noon, several OPP officers were seen bringing duffel bags and backpacks to the back of the home, and investigators seemed to be focusing their attention on the treed ravine located beside the home, which stretches down to railway tracks. The excavation will last weeks or possibly months, police said. Toronto police have called the McArthur probe the largest forensic examination in the force’s history. In May, police wrapped up an extensive investigation inside McArthur’s twobedroom apartment in Thorncliffe Park, where at least one of the alleged murders may have aken place. Along the way, they seized 1,800 exhibits and took more than 18,000 photographs. That same month, due to the warming weather, police sent cadaver dogs out to 100 properties linked to the former landscaper. However, the Mallory Cres. home was the only place where the dogs indicated further excavation was required. McArthur is charged in the deaths of Kayhan — the sole alleged victim whose remains have not been found — as well as Selim Esen, Andrew Kinsman, Dean Lisowick, Soroush Mahmudi, Skandaraj Navaratnam, Abdulbasir Faizi and Kirushnakumar Kanagaratnam. Their deaths range from 2010 to 2017. Most of the men had previously been reported missing to police and had connections to Toronto’s Church-Wellesley community. McArthur became a person of interest in the disappearance of Kinsman late last year and was arrested on Jan. 18 nd subsequently charged in the deaths of eight men. A source with knowledge of the investigation told the Star one month before that arthat, rest, police secretly entered McArthur’s apartment and cloned his hard drive to obtain files from his computer. Police have also launched investigations into two dozen cold cases as old as 1975 and as recent as 1997 where there could be a possible connection to McArthur. Outside the Mallory Cres. home, located near Bayview and Moore Aves., a garden alongside the driveway flourished with pink flowers and greenery. An inscription on the g the lyrics from the song “Nothing More”: We are one. We are how we treat each other when the day is done — The Alternate Routes. Fraser said a neighbour offered to paint the garage, and inscribed the lyrics as a message to anyone passing by. “We wanted it to change the mood,” she said. She said she and Smith “hide out sometimes” to avoid attracting attention. But they’re thankful to the community they say have supported them in this difficult time, and have no plans to sell the home or move out. Marilyn Carruthers, who lives nearby, said she had been expecting police to return to the home on Mallory Cres. “I think they want to go down the hill to the tracks,” she said, looking over the police and media vehicles that descended on her usually quiet street. “It’s all forest behind there, and then there’s the railway tracks.” Carruthers said although it’s been “calm” since January, the neighbourhood has gotten busier than usual since the human remains were first discovered, noting the area has attracted onlookers coming by with cameras. McArthur is scheduled to appear in court later this month.
“I want (any remains) to be found, so their loved ones can know.” KAREN FRASER PROPERTY OWNER