This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Police in Canada are reviewing homicide cold cases dating back as far as 1975 and are preparing to search 75 properties as they continue the investigation into a Toronto landscaper accused of murdering at least seven people and burying their remains in large flower planters.

Bruce McArthur, 66, was arrested in January. Initially charged with the deaths of two men, police have continued to add on charges in what they described as an “unprecedented” investigation.

Toronto landscaper killed five people and buried them on clients' land – police Read more

“The city of Toronto has never seen anything like this,” said a police spokesman at the time, adding that police had no idea how many victims there could be. Some 20 investigators are currently working full-time on the case.

On Wednesday McArthur was charged with a seventh murder, linking him to the 2010 disappearance of Abdulbasir Faizi, a married father of two.

McArthur has also been charged in connection with the deaths of Majeed Kayhan, Soroush Mahmudi, Dean Lisowick, Selim Esen, Andrew Kinsman and Skandaraj Navaratnam. All of the men are believed to have gone missing between 2010 and 2017.

Police said McArthur used dating apps to target gay men, often meeting them in Toronto’s Gay Village neighbourhood.

Faizi’s remains were among those found in large planters at a Toronto property where McArthur had worked and stored his tools, said police. It is believed that the two knew each other.

Police said they had now identified six sets of remains found in the planters. “At least one set of remains has yet to be identified,” said Idsinga.

The scope of the investigation has yet to be determined; police are currently reviewing 15 cold cases, dating as far back as 1975, and are hoping in May to begin searching 75 properties where McArthur is believed to have worked. “We really don’t know how deep this is going to go,” said Idsinga. “We just don’t know yet.”

Investigators have also spent months combing McArthur’s apartment for evidence and clues as to whether there may be other victims. “I think it’s easily set the record for a forensic examination of apartments,” said Idsinga. “They’re literally going through that apartment inch by inch by inch.”

McArthur’s lawyer, Edward Royle, did not respond to a request for comment.

McArthur’s arrest – and his connection to various disappearances – has rocked the already fragile relationship between Toronto police and the LGBT community. News of his arrest came months after the community began voicing concerns that a serial killer was targeting men in the city’s Gay Village; fears that were initially brushed off by police.

This month, Toronto’s Pride parade – one of the world’s largest – asked police to withdraw their application to join the event, citing McArthur’s alleged victims.

“The individual stories and lived experiences of each of these people were unique,” Pride Toronto said in a statement. “But what they did share was that the investigations into their disappearances were insufficient, community knowledge and expertise was not accessed and despite the fact that many of us felt and voiced our concerns, we were dismissed.”

As a result, the group said it was left feeling more vulnerable than ever. “This has severely shaken our community’s already often tenuous trust in the city’s law enforcement.”