March 5 (UPI) — Toronto police confirmed Monday they found the remains of a seventh person allegedly killed by landscaper Bruce McArthur and hidden in large planters.
Investigators have not identified the seventh body, but did release the photograph of a man they believe could be a victim of McArthur’s.
“I do not want to release this picture and I’m doing so as a last resort,” he said. “It is obviously a key piece of evidence that we have that we are releasing, but we feel by releasing it, hopefully we can identify him and close off that area of the investigation.”
Detective Sgt. Hank Idsinga said he would not reveal how police came by the photo and he did not say if the man was dead or alive in the image. He cautioned that family members of the man may learn of his death for the first time by seeing the photo.
Prosecutors have charged McArthur with six counts of first-degree murder after they found the remains of multiple people buried in planters on properties he services.
Police initially arrested McArthur in early January for the slayings of Selim Esen, 44, who went missing in April, and Andrew Kinsman, 49, who went missing in June.
Later in January, they charged him with the deaths of Majeed Kayhan, 58, missing since 2012; Soroush Mahmudi, 50, reported missing in 2015; and Dean Lisowick, 47, a homeless man who hasn’t been reported missing but whom police believe may have died between May 2016 and July 2017.
In February, investigators charged McArthur in the disappearance of Skandaraj “Skanda” Navaratnam, 40.
The remains of Navaratnam, Kinsman and Mahmudi have been identified.
The disappearances and killings linked to McArthur appear to center around Toronto’s Gay Village neighborhood. Police believe McArthur met his victims in the area and through dating apps.
The earliest murder charge against McArthur dates back to 2010, prompting the Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention to ask Toronto police to review whether there has been any discrimination in its investigation.
“We strongly emphasize that racism and homophobia are systemic issues that affect every part of our society,” the Alliance said. “A different standard of justice for racialized and LGBTQ+ people is the reality in our city and province.”
