On a grey Thursday in January, Toronto police made one of the biggest arrests in the city’s history.Apprehended from a Thorncliffe Park apartment complex was Bruce McArthur, a self-employed landscaper. Police had uncovered evidence they alleged implicated him in the deaths of two missing men from Toronto’s Gay Village, Andrew Kinsman, 49, and Selim Esen, 44. At a press conference announcing the arrest, police said they believed there were more victims.Over the next three months, McArthur, 67, would be charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of six more men: Majeed Kayhan, 58; Soroush Mahmudi, 50; Dean Lisowick, 47; Skandaraj (Skanda) Navaratnam, 40, Abdulbasir Faizi, 42, and Kirushnakumar Kanagaratnam, 37. The sprawling, months-long police probe has seen the largest forensic investigation in Toronto’s history, and resulted in the discovery of dismembered, skeletal human remains buried in large planters on a Leaside property.The arrest of an alleged serial killer came after long-held speculation in the Church-Wellesley community that a murderer was in their midst — a concern met with denial by police until just weeks before McArthur was arrested. As questions mounted about whether an arrest could have been made sooner, an independent review has been launched into the Toronto police handling of missing person’s cases.Below is a detailed account of key dates in the ongoing investigation. The Star intends to update this story as the Bruce McArthur case unfolds:Oct. 2001: McArthur, 50, attacks a man midday inside the victim’s apartment in the Gay Village. McArthur strikes the man numerous times with a metal pipe. The victim, who has advertised in gay publications as a male hustler, calls 911 and is taken to hospital. McArthur goes to police headquarters to say he may have hurt someone and doesn’t know why he did it. Jan. - April 2003: McArthur pleads guilty to assault with a weapon and assault causing bodily harm in th ...
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