Potential evidence removed from property linked to alleged serial killer Bruce McArthur
CBC News | Posted: July 4, 2018 2:06 PM | Last Updated: July 4, 2018
The remains of 7 men were previously found in garden planters at the Mallory Crescent property
Potential evidence has been removed from the Toronto property where alleged serial killer Bruce McArthur worked and where the remains of seven men have already been located.
Toronto police spokesperson Meaghan Gray confirmed to CBC Toronto that investigators found "items of interest" at the Mallory Cresent property Wednesday afternoon.
Black bags were seen being loaded into a coroner's van and taken to the office of the coroner where they will undergo testing.
Gray said police cannot comment on what was found until the coroner has completed the testing.
Police began a new search of a forested ravine at the back of the Mallory Crescent property this morning. The home is where the dismembered remains of seven men believed to have been killed by McArthur were discovered hidden in garden planters earlier this year.
According to Det.-Sgt. Hank Idsinga, the lead investigator on McArthur's case, search teams are looking for more remains, or any other remains belonging to previously identified victims.
The dig could take several months to complete, he added, as all of the trees and undergrowth need to be removed before breaking ground.
The decision to restart the excavation at the property came after canine units indicated in May that more remains may be buried there.
Police still trying to ID remains
McArthur, 66, worked as a landscaper at the home located in the leafy north Toronto suburb of Leaside, before his arrest in January. He has since been charged with eight counts of first-degree murder.
He is accused of killing: Skandaraj Navaratnam, Andrew Kinsman, Selim Esen, Abdulbasir Faizi, Kirushna Kumar Kanagaratnam, Dean Lisowick, Soroush Mahmudi, and Majeed Kayhan.
Body parts belonging to seven of those men were found in garden planters situated throughout the property during searches in the winter and early spring. However, Kayhan's remains have yet to be identified, Idsinga said.
Police have also investigated some 100 other properties where McArthur worked over the years, Idsinga said, but found no reason to excavate those sites.