DIGGING IN THE DIRT: The search for alleged victims of accused serial killer Bruce McArthur

Published Jul 10, 2018 • 1 minute read

Toronto Police homicide Det.-Sgt. Hank Idsinga was at the Mallory Cres dig site speaking with officers. He mentioned to media the digging should culminate either Wednesday or Thursday on Tuesday July 10, 2018. (Jack Boland/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network)

The search for human remains at a Leaside home where accused serial killer Bruce McArthur stored equipment for his landscaping business is nearing completion.

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Toronto Police returned to the house on Mallory Cr. — where the remains of seven suspected murder victims were found buried in planters earlier this year — with cadaver dogs on July 3 and began excavating in a ravine behind the property.

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More dismembered body parts were found, prompting forensic officers to continue sifting through the dirt.

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“Digging should wrap up today or tomorrow, unless we find more (remains),” Homicide Det.-Sgt. Hank Idsinga said Tuesday.

It’s alleged McCarthur preyed on men, most of whom had known ties to the city’s gay village. The men vanished between 2010 and 2017.

The remains of Skandaraj Navaratnam, 40, Andrew Kinsman, 49, Selim Esen, 44, and Abdulbasir Faizi, 44, Kirushna Kumar Kanagaratnam, 37, Dean Lisowick, 47, and Soroush Mahmudi, 50, were allegedly discovered in the planters at Mallory Cr.

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The remains of Majeed Kayhan, 58, have yet to be found.

Majeed âHamidâ Kayhan, 58, has been missing since Oct. 25, 2012. He is believed to be a victim of Bruce McArthur. Photo by police handout

A post-mortem examination is being conducted on the body parts discovered last week to determine if they are the remains of one of the alleged eight known victims, or a new person.

The process could involve fingerprints, dental records or DNA analysis and, Idsinga said, could take days, weeks or months.

McCarthur, 66, remains in custody and currently faces eight counts of first-degree murder.

His next court appearance is scheduled for July 23.

cdoucette@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @SunDoucette

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