Bruce McArthur: suspected serial killer charged in death of a Sri Lankan man

Police in Toronto have charged alleged serial killer Bruce McArthur with an eighth murder over the death of Sri Lankan man who had not been reported missing, the Guardian reported.

Hank Idsinga, a detective sergeant with Toronto police, said on Monday the 66-year-old landscaper has been charged with first-degree murder over the death of Kirushna Kumar Kanagaratnam. Idsinga said Kanagaratnam’s remains were found at a home McArthur used as storage for his landscaping business. The remains of seven others have also been found in large planters at the home.

Idsinga said Kanagaratnam, 37, arrived from Sri Lanka in 2010 and was not on file as missing. He lived in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough and had no direct family in Canada. Investigators said he was identified after they released photographs of the man and appealed to the public for help. He said identification was confirmed with the assistance of an international government agency.

Police said there are currently no known links between Kanagaratnam and the “Gay Village” of Toronto which other victims are known to have visited. The alleged victims fit a pattern: most were of Middle Eastern or South Asian descent and lived on the margins of Canadian society, their disappearances attracting little attention.Police say McArthur targeted men he encountered through dating apps that cater to gay men, meeting them at bars in the Gay Village. McArthur is accused of burying his victims’ remains in large flower planters on his clients’ properties. Police believe Kanagaratnam was killed between September 3 and December 14, 2015. Idsinga said he had some cousins who lived in the greater Toronto area.

Idsinga said more remains might be found at the home McArthur used as storage and that 75 properties linked to the landscaper are under investigation.

Police plan to search them once the weather warms in early May. “We have a lot of searches still to do,” he said.

Idsinga said investigators are looking into 15 other cold cases dating back to 1975, but have not found a connection.

The Guardian