Some of the victims of alleged serial killer Bruce McArthur were murdered in his apartment, said the lead detective on the case.

Det.-Sgt. Hank Idsinga told CTV News’s W5 on Saturday he couldn’t confirm if investigators believe some of the killings also happened inside McArthur’s van.

McArthur, a 66-year-old landscaper, has been charged with first-degree murder in the disappearances of Andrew Kinsman, Selim Esen, Majeed Kayhan, Soroush Mahmudi and Dean Lisowick.

“Is the apartment a homicide scene?” asked CTV reporter Avery Haines.

“We believe that it is,” Idsinga said.

Many of the victims were members of Toronto’s LGBTQ community. Most were racialized. All but Lisowick had been reported missing, part of a string of disappearances that had long fuelled speculation about a serial killer targeting the city’s Gay Village.

In 2012, Toronto police launched a task force called Project Houston to examine the disappearances of three men in the Village, including Kayhan. Two other men subject to the 2012 task force — Skandaraj Navaratnam and Abdulbasir Faizi — haven’t been listed as victims of McArthur. But Navaratnam has been connected to him, and Faizi’s car was found a short distance from his home.

Idsinga told CTV that the task force was formed in response to a tip about an “online cannibalism ring” playing a role in Navaratnam’s death.

“It was a tip that was ultimately discounted,” Idsinga added.

In the CTV report, a man who said he used to date Kayhan — CTV protected his identity — said he last saw Kayhan with McArthur, information he shared with police after Kayhan’s 2012 disappearance.

Idsinga said he couldn’t confirm police received the tip or spoke to McArthur in 2012. At the time, the task force found no evidence of foul play.

The charges against McArthur, who was arrested in January, haven’t been proven. He remains in custody, and is scheduled to appear in court next on Feb. 28.

On Tuesday, police stopped digging in the yard of the Leaside home where the remains of at least six people were found in large outdoor planters.

In the CTV interview, Idsinga said his team broke up the first planter inside the morgue. Idsinga said his investigative partner told him he’d never seen the seasoned detective look so disgusted.

But that wasn’t quite the right word, Idsinga said.

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“I’m not disgusted. I’m just angry.”

With files from Fatima Syed, Jenna Moon and Victoria Gibson