Toronto police update investigation of accused serial killer

UPDATE

Toronto police have recovered the remains of a seventh person linked to alleged serial killer Bruce McArthur.

Investigators held a news conference at 10:30 a.m. Monday and said the remains were recovered from a planter at a home where McArthur did gardening work in Toronto.

The remains of six other people were previously found inside the planters. Police have identified three of the sets of remains as those of Andrew Kinsman, 49, Soroush Mahmudi, 50, and Skandaraj Navaratnam, 40.

Police also released a photograph of a deceased male in hopes the public could help identify him. Homicide Det. Sgt. Hank Idsinga said police believe the man in the picture was dead when the photograph was taken but would not say how police obtained the image.

“I’ve never done this and I do it with great hesitation,” he said. “It’s obviously a key piece of evidence that we have that we’re releasing, but we do feel that by releasing it hopefully we can identify him and close off that area of investigation.”

McArthur is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the deaths, and the presumed deaths of Kinsman, Mahmudi, Navaratnam, Selim Esen, 44, Majeed Kayhan, 58, and Dean Lisowick, either 43 or 44.

Police say they have gone through fingerprints and dental records in an effort to identify the other four remains. Idsinga says they are now in the DNA process.