Bruce McArthur, 66, was charged with three more murders on Monday in Toronto
Police have discovered the dismembered remains of three men, whose deaths investigators link to a suspected serial killer already charged with two murders.
Bruce McArthur, 66, was charged with three additional counts of first-degree murder on Monday in Toronto, where the search continued for additional bodies on over 30 that McArthur worked on as a landscaper.
The fresh charges related to the deaths of Majeed Kayhan, 58, Soroush Marmudi, 50, and Dean Lisowick, 47.
Kayhan was reported missing since October 2012, while Marmudi was reported missing in August 2015 and Lisowick was never reported missing.
The charges come after forensic investigators said they found the dismembered skeletal remains of at least three men in large planters sitting in the back yard of a home in the quiet Toronto neighborhood of Leaside.
Police discovered the dismembered remains of at least three men in planters behind this home, where McArthur stored his landscaping equipment. The homeowners were shocked
There, McArthur stored his landscaping equipment in exchange for mowing the lawn of the couple who owned the home, who were stunned by the allegations.
The formal identification of the remains is pending DNA testing.
McArthur was charged earlier this month with first-degree murder in the presumed deaths of Selim Esen, 44, and Andrew Kinsman, 49, both reported missing from Toronto’s Gay Village area at separate times last year.
‘The city of Toronto has never seen anything like this,’ Toronto Homicide Detective Sergeant Hank Idsinga said at a press conference on Monday.
‘It is unprecedented and draining. He’s an alleged serial killer and he’s taken some steps to cover his tracks.’
Police have identified at least 30 properties where McArthur worked, and said they believe there are more remains yet to be discovered.
‘We have seized quite a few planters from around the city and we will continue to do that,’ said Idsinga. There are at least two sites that we do want to excavate where people might be buried.’
‘It encompasses more than the gay community. It encompasses the City of Toronto,’ Idsinga said.
McArthur was previously charged with the murders of Selim Esen, 44, (left) and Andrew Kinsman, 49 (right). Police suspect he had a sexual relationship with both men
Police are seen searching a home connected to McArthur on January 19, shortly after his arrest
One of the newly identified victims, Kayhan, was the subject of a previous probe into the disappearances of three middle-aged Muslim immigrants from the Gay Village area between 2010 and 2012. The fate of the other two men has yet to be determined.
A second new victim, Marmudi, was reported missing in Scarborough by his family in August 2015.
The third new victim, Lisowick, was an occupant of the shelter system who had not been reported missing. Police believe he was murdered between May 2016 and July 2017. Lisowick and Marmudi were not known to openly identify with the gay community, police said.
Members of Toronto’s gay community were pushing for answers last year in light of the disappearances of Esen and Kinsman.
Esen frequented the Gay Village area and Kensington Market and often had a small plastic suitcase on wheels similar to a carry-on bag, police said.
He was last definitively seen on March 20, 2017, but there have been reports that he was also observed by a member of the community as late as April 14.
Kinsman was reported missing by a neighbor on June 28, 2017. Kinsman, known to be active on social media, was last seen in the area of his residence on Winchester Street on June 26.
Both Esen and Kinsman were reported missing from the Gay Village area near Church and Wellesley streets (pictured) area at separate times last year
Following outcry from the gay community, police formed a task force named Project Prism to look into the disappearances.
In September of 2017 Project Prism investigators identified McArthur as a person of interest in the probe.
McArthur had sexual relationships with both Esen and Kinsman, and all three were on dating apps, police have said.
Officers investigated McArthur for months but could not make a definitive link to the disappearances until this month, police said. The bodies of Esen and Kinsman have not been recovered, and police have not said what evidence links McArthur to their presumed deaths.
The investigation is still active and police hope to speak with any homeowners on whose properties McArthur may have worked.
Anyone who owns property that McArthur worked on as a landscaper is urged to contact investigators at 416-808-2021.