Victims remains found in Toronto killer case

Police in the Canadian city of Toronto said on Thursday that they had discovered remains of at least six people believed to be the victims of alleged serial killer Bruce McArthur. Detective Sgt. Hank Idsinga said that the bodies were found on a property McArthur used as storage in exchange for landscaping work.

McArthur, a father and grandfather, was arrested on January 18 over the deaths of two men, Andrew Kinsman and Selim Esen, who had last been seen in an LGBT friendly part of Toronto. Investigators believe that McArthur, 66, used dating apps for older gay men to lure his victims.

"There is an extensive digital investigation going on," said Idsinga. "We're going through computers. We're going through cell phones. We're going through online applications and different apps."

Five known killings

Police said that some of the remains found on Thursday belong to Kinsman, and are still trying to determine if any of them belong to McArthur's three other suspected victims. The deaths of the five men all occured between 2012 and 2017.

The killer allegedly used his job as a landscaper to bury the bodies of his victims in planters. Toronto police are in the process of digging up all of the planters McArthur has installed around the city. The authorities are also combing through Toronto's open missing persons cases to determine if any of them could be victims of McArthur's.

Idsinga also said that his team was working with officials overseas. McArthur is due back in court on February 14, when he is expected to enter a plea.

es/bw (AP, dpa)