Public asked to help ID dead man linked to alleged serial killer

TORONTO — Investigators working on the case of alleged serial killer Bruce McArthur released a photo of a dead man Monday, a rare move Toronto police hope will help identify someone they believe to be another victim of the 66-year-old landscaper facing six murder charges.

The photo — a headshot of a bearded middle-aged man with his eyes partly shut — was released at a news conference where the lead detective announced police found the remains of a seventh individual linked to McArthur.

Det. Sgt. Hank Idsinga said investigators believe the man was dead when the picture was taken, but refused to say when or how they obtained the photograph.

“I do not want to release this picture and am doing so as a last resort,” Idsinga said. “It’s obviously a key piece of evidence that we have that we are releasing, but we do feel that by releasing we will identify him and close off that area of investigation.”

Idsinga said the photo was released after police exhausted all other avenues to identify the man.

“We need to put a name to his face and bring closure to this man’s loved ones.”

An image of the victim has been posted on the Toronto Police Service news website, tpsnews.ca.

Six men allegedly killed by McArthur disappeared from Toronto’s gay village or had ties to the city’s LGBTQ community.

Idsinga said the latest unidentified remains were recovered from a planter at a Toronto property where McArthur worked as a landscaper and where the remains of the six alleged victims had been found.

McArthur was arrested in January and charged with the murders of Andrew Kinsman and Selim Esen. Later that month, McArthur was charged with the first-degree murder of Majeed Kayhan, Soroush Mahmudi, and Dean Lisowick. In February, he was also charged in the death of Skandaraj Navaratnam.

McArthur’s next court hearing is March 14.