Documents violence · sexual violence · ongoing investigation — written to inform, not to shock.
Illustrative
Between 2010 and 2017, eight men disappeared from or were connected to the Church and Wellesley neighbourhood, Toronto's LGBTQ village. Two successive Toronto Police Service (TPS) task forces — Project Houston (from 2012) and Project Prism (from 2017) — investigated the disappearances, eventually leading to the arrest of Bruce McArthur, a 66-year-old self-employed Toronto landscaper, on January 18, 2018. On January 29, 2019, McArthur pleaded guilty to eight counts of first-degree murder in Ontario Superior Court and was sentenced to life imprisonment with no eligibility for parole for twenty-five years.
The victims were Skandaraj "Skanda" Navaratnam, Abdulbasir "Basir" Faizi, Majeed "Hamid" Kayhan, Soroush Mahmudi, Andrew Kinsman, Selim Esen, Dean Lisowick, and Kirushna Kumar Kanagaratnam. Investigators noted that most victims were middle-aged, bearded, connected to Church and Wellesley and to a bar called The Black Eagle, with several disappearing over holiday weekends. McArthur had known or had relationships with several of the victims through the gay community and his landscaping business, Artistic Designs.
Project Houston, launched in November 2012, investigated the 2010 disappearance of Navaratnam and later linked it to the disappearances of Faizi and Kayhan, but closed without identifying a suspect or evidence of a crime. Project Prism was created in July 2017 after the disappearances of Andrew Kinsman and Selim Esen. A lead from Kinsman's calendar entry referencing "Bruce," combined with surveillance footage of a distinctive van, led investigators to McArthur. Production orders for data from telecommunications and financial companies, tracking warrants, and forensic analysis of a van McArthur had sold eventually linked him to Kinsman's blood and, later, to post-mortem photographs recovered from his computer.
McArthur was arrested on January 18, 2018, after police intervened during an encounter with another man in his apartment, believing the man's life was at risk. Searches of McArthur's Thorncliffe Park apartment and a Leaside property where he stored landscaping equipment led to the discovery of dismembered human remains in planter boxes, ultimately identified as belonging to seven of the victims; an eighth victim's remains were found in a ravine behind the Leaside property. Additional charges of first-degree murder were laid through 2018 as remains were identified. The investigation became the largest ever conducted by the TPS, involving the Ontario Provincial Police, RCMP, and other forensic services, and was expanded to review hundreds of cold cases and missing-persons files.
A prior case was also documented: in 2001, McArthur assaulted a man named Mark Henderson with an iron pipe; McArthur pleaded guilty to assault charges in 2003 and received a conditional sentence, with the conviction later expunged from his record in 2014.
In April 2021, an external Independent Civilian Review into Missing Person Investigations, commissioned by the Toronto Police Services Board, found systemic discrimination by the TPS in its handling of the missing-persons investigations and issued 151 recommendations. Interim TPS Chief James Ramer apologized for what he called "inexcusable" investigative shortcomings and committed to implementing the recommendations.
Majeed Kayhan, Selim Esen, Soroush Mahmudi, Abdulbasir Faizi, Dean Lisowick, Mark Henderson, Skandaraj Navaratnam, Kirushna Kumar Kanagaratnam, Andrew Kinsman
Date
2010
Location
Church and Wellesley, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Case status
solved
Case timeline
2010-09-06
Skandaraj "Skanda" Navaratnam last seen leaving a Toronto gay bar; later determined to be McArthur's first known victim.
2010-12-28
Abdulbasir "Basir" Faizi last seen before his disappearance.
2012-10-18
Majeed "Hamid" Kayhan last seen in Church and Wellesley.
2012-11
TPS launches Project Houston task force to investigate Navaratnam's disappearance.
2013-11-11
Police interview McArthur after an anonymous tip links him to Navaratnam and Kayhan.
2015-08-14
Soroush Mahmudi last seen alive near his home.
2016-01-06
Approximate date police believe Kirushna Kumar Kanagaratnam was killed by McArthur.
2016-04-23
Approximate date police believe Dean Lisowick was killed by McArthur.
2017-03-20
Selim Esen last definitively seen near Church and Wellesley.
2017-06-26
Andrew Kinsman last seen near his Cabbagetown residence, the day after Toronto Pride.
2017-07
TPS creates Project Prism task force to investigate the disappearances of Kinsman and Esen.
2017-11-29
Body of Tess Richey found, heightening community fears of a serial killer in the area.
2017-12-04
Police obtain a general warrant and covertly enter McArthur's apartment to clone his computer's hard drive.
2017-12-08
TPS Chief Mark Saunders holds a news conference stating there is no evidence of a serial killer.
2018-01-17
Post-mortem photos of victims found on McArthur's computer, directly connecting him to Esen and Kinsman.
2018-01-18
Bruce McArthur arrested at his Thorncliffe Park apartment.
2018-01-29
Police announce discovery of dismembered remains of at least three people in planters at the Leaside property; McArthur charged with three additional counts of murder.
2018-02-08
Police announce identification of Andrew Kinsman's remains among six sets found at the Leaside property.
2018-02-23
McArthur charged with a sixth count of first-degree murder in the death of Skandaraj Navaratnam.
2018-04-11
McArthur charged with a seventh count of first-degree murder in the death of Abdulbasir Faizi.
2018-04-16
McArthur charged with an eighth count of first-degree murder in the death of Kirushna Kumar Kanagaratnam.
2018-05-11
Forensic search of McArthur's apartment concludes after nearly four months.
2018-07-20
Remains of Majeed Kayhan identified, completing identification of all eight victims.
2018-10-22
McArthur waives his right to a preliminary hearing and is ordered to stand trial on eight counts of first-degree murder.
2019-01-29
McArthur pleads guilty to eight counts of first-degree murder in Ontario Superior Court and is sentenced to life imprisonment with no parole eligibility for twenty-five years.
2021-04
Independent Civilian Review into Missing Person Investigations delivers final report finding systemic discrimination by TPS and making 151 recommendations.
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The Case of Bruce McArthur
People
James Ramer
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Interim Toronto Police Service Chief who apologized in 2021 for investigative shortcomings identified by the Independent Civilian Review.
citation on file
Hank Idsinga
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Toronto Police Service Detective Sergeant who led Project Prism and the subsequent homicide investigation.
citation on file
Majeed Kayhan
VICTIM
Disappeared October 18, 2012; remains identified in a ravine behind the Leaside property.
citation on file
Selim Esen
VICTIM
Last seen March 20, 2017; killed on or about April 16, 2017.
citation on file
Soroush Mahmudi
VICTIM
Last seen alive August 14, 2015; remains identified from planters at the Leaside property.
citation on file
Bruce McArthur
CONVICTED
Pleaded guilty on January 29, 2019, to eight counts of first-degree murder; sentenced to life imprisonment with no parole eligibility for twenty-five years.
citation on file
Abdulbasir Faizi
VICTIM
Disappeared December 28, 2010; remains identified from planters at the Leaside property.
citation on file
Dean Lisowick
VICTIM
Resident of Toronto's shelter system, never reported missing; killed on or about April 23, 2016.
citation on file
Mark Saunders
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Toronto Police Service Chief who held a December 8, 2017 news conference on the disappearances.
citation on file
Mark Henderson
VICTIM
Actor and model assaulted by McArthur with an iron pipe on October 31, 2001; McArthur pleaded guilty to assault charges.
citation on file
Skandaraj Navaratnam
VICTIM
Disappeared September 6, 2010; remains identified from planters at the Leaside property.
citation on file
Kirushna Kumar Kanagaratnam
VICTIM
Tamil asylum-seeker under a deportation order, never reported missing; killed on or about January 6, 2016.
citation on file
Andrew Kinsman
VICTIM
Disappeared June 26, 2017; remains identified through fingerprints from the Leaside property.
Between 2010 and 2017, eight men connected to Toronto's Church and Wellesley LGBTQ village were murdered by landscaper Bruce McArthur, who was arrested in January 2018 and later pleaded guilty to eight counts of first-degree murder.
Where did the homicides happen?
Church and Wellesley, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Who was convicted?
Bruce McArthur (Pleaded guilty on January 29, 2019, to eight counts of first-degree murder; sentenced to life imprisonment with no parole eligibility for twenty-five years.).
