Toronto police arrest suspected serial killer for two gay-village murders and believe there are more victims
Bruce McArthur, 66, had sexual relationships with both of the known victims, say police
Months after dismissing fears about a potential serial killer prowling Toronto’s gay village, police said they arrested a man Thursday who they allege is responsible for the presumed deaths of at least two men who disappeared from the neighbourhood.
Bruce McArthur, a 66-year-old Toronto landscaper, was charged with first-degree murder in the presumed deaths of Selim Esen and Andrew Kinsman, both reported missing from the Church and Wellesley streets area at separate times last year, police said.
“We believe he is responsible for the deaths of Mr Esen and Mr Kinsman, and we believe he is responsible for the deaths of other men who have yet to be identified,” Toronto Detective Sergeant Hank Idsinga said.
We believe he is responsible for the deaths of other men who have yet to be identified. In other words, we believe there are other victims
“In other words, we believe there are other victims,” he added.
Idsinga would not say who the other victims might be, but said police are aware of other men reported missing from the area. A separate investigation, for instance, has been looking into the disappearance of three men from the same area between 2010 and 2012.
Members of the LGBTQ community were voicing concerns and pushing for answers last year in light of the disappearances of Esen and Kinsman, which were deemed suspicious.
Investigators working on the cases issued public reassurances, saying they had no reason to believe that the two men were dead or that their absence had anything to do with a serial killer or predators targeting men through a dating app. Then in December, police warned people to be careful using dating apps.