The pair of Toronto investigators arrived at the auto parts shop in late September with a vehicle identification number — a unique code that acts as a vehicle’s fingerprints.Soon, police officers were poring over surveillance video of alleged killer Bruce McArthur selling his rusted maroon Dodge Caravan to the parts shop. Police seized the vehicle and had it towed from the shop’s yard.“As I understand it, this van was a fairly big part of them putting the puzzle together,” said Dominic Vetere, owner of Dom’s Auto Parts in Courtice, just outside Oshawa.The officers’ late September visit to the auto parts shop reveals investigators have been pursuing McArthur since at least the fall, months before police tried to publicly dispel fears that there was a serial killer targeting Toronto’s Gay Village.Read more: Police investigate properties in Scarborough and Madoc with links to accused killer Bruce McArthurAccused killer Bruce McArthur filed for bankruptcy years before murder chargesThe 66-year-old McArthur is charged with murdering two men — Selim Esen and Andrew Kinsman — missing from the Church and Wellesley area. Toronto police allege he may also be responsible for the deaths of more men.Homicide detectives told the Star on Saturday that they would not comment on specific aspects of the investigation, including one report that investigators found blood stains in the trunk of a vehicle they recovered from an auto yard.“The investigation is now before the courts and we have a prosecution to protect,” Det. David Dickinson said in an email.According to Vetere, McArthur visited his auto shop on Sept. 16. Employee Harry Cribb said the man was just like any other person coming in to sell their old car.“He was very calm, just like a normal guy,” Cribb said. “There was nothing out of the ordinary about him at all. He didn’t look like he was worried, upset, nothing.”Cribb ...
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