The lead detective in the Bruce McArthur case confirms that police are now looking into several cold cases from the 1970s involving Toronto’s LGBTQ community.
Det.-Sgt. Hank Idsinga previously told reporters that investigators are looking into numerous cold cases to see if there is any link to the accused serial killer but did not provide a specific timeframe.
The confirmation comes on the heels of a CBC Fifth Estate investigation that is set to air on Friday. In a preview of the show, The Fifth Estate says the team’s investigation will focus on the stories of several men from Toronto’s gay community who were brutally murdered more than four decades ago.
According to CBC, some of these cold cases are now being reopened.
McArthur, who police have not yet linked to any cold cases from the 1970s, has been charged with six counts of first-degree murder in connection with the death of Skandaraj “Skanda” Navaratnam, Andrew Kinsman, Selim Esen, Majeed Kayhan, Soroush Mahmudi, and Dean Lisowick.
The murdered men all frequented the Church-Wellesley Village area and disappeared between 2010 and 2017.
None of the charges have been proven in court.
Police previously confirmed that the remains of Kinsman, Mahmudi, and Navaratnam were found along with the remains of four not yet identified people in garden planters on a Leaside property where McArthur stored items for his landscaping business.
Police have not ruled out the possibility that some of the unidentified remains could belong to Esen, Kayhan, or Lisowick.
Investigators also previously released a photo of one unidentified man that police believe was one of McArthur’s alleged victims.
Last month, Idsinga confirmed that forensic teams had done dental and fingerprint testing on the remains and said DNA testing is the next step to try to confirm the identities of the victims.
