Police find more remains in serial killing probe
TORONTO • More human remains have been found in a ravine next to a Toronto property where police investigating an alleged serial killer previously found the remains of seven men with ties to the city’s gay village. It is the second set of remains discovered since police began digging Wednesday near the house where Bruce McArthur, who is charged with eight counts of first-degree murder, worked as a landscaper. Police recovered body parts of seven men from large planters at the same property in the winter months, but have yet to find the remains of one man, Majeed Kayhan, who they allege was murdered by McArthur. “The best-case scenario is those remains that we’ve recovered are matched up to remains we’ve already recovered,” lead investigator Hank Idsinga said Friday as investigators continued digging with the help of cadaver dogs.
The remains were discovered Thursday and have been sent for testing with a post-mortem examination set for Monday, Idsinga said. McArthur, 66, of Toronto, is alleged to have killed Kayhan, Selim Esen, Skandaraj Navaratnam, Andrew Kinsman, Dean Lisowick, Soroush Mahmudi, Abdulbasir Faizi and Kirushna Kanagaratnam.
Idsinga said it’s unclear how long police will continue to search, suggesting the process could take weeks. “The officers are down there digging through the area by hand,” Idsinga said. “It’s a slow process. It’s a very meticulous process.” Police have searched about 100 properties linked to McArthur, but have only found body parts at the one Toronto property.
“It’s a terrible case for the families out there and the victims,” Idsinga said of the latest discovery.
He said they continue to investigate several outstanding missing persons investigations along with cold cases dating back several decades. “I don’t want to get anybody’s hopes up,” Idsinga said.
“We’ve laid eight charges and we may at the end of the day only have eight victims, we just don’t know yet.” McArthur’s case is scheduled to return to court on July 23.