Toronto

No new charges as alleged serial killer Bruce McArthur appears in Toronto court

Bruce McArthur, the alleged serial killer charged with eight counts of first-degree murder, seemed solemn and slightly confused during a Wednesday morning video link court appearance in Toronto.

Police still running massive forensic investigation

Bruce McArthur, 66, pictured here in a past social media post, made a brief court appearance by video link on Wednesday morning. According to CBC's Linda Ward, who was in the courtroom, McArthur appeared solemn and slightly confused. (Bruce McArthur/Facebook)

Bruce McArthur, the alleged serial killer charged with eight counts of first-degree murder, seemed solemn and slightly confused during a Wednesday morning video link court appearance in Toronto.

Toronto police did not lay any new charges against McArthur, but the investigation is ongoing. He's set to return to court on June 22, two days after a judicial pretrial.

McArthur, a 66-year-old self-employed landscaper, has been charged in connection with the disappearances of a number of men, many of them connected to Toronto's Gay Village: Skandaraj Navaratnam, 40, Andrew Kinsman, 49, Selim Esen, 44, and Abdulbasir Faizi, 44, Kirushna Kumar Kanagaratnam, 37, Dean Lisowick, 47, Soroush Mahmudi, 50, and Majeed Kayhan, 58.

McArthur is accused of killing these eight men. Top row, from left to right, Skandaraj Navaratnam, 40, Andrew Kinsman, 49, Selim Esen, 44, and Abdulbasir Faizi, 44. Bottom row, from left to right: Kirushna Kumar Kanagaratnam, 37, Dean Lisowick, 47, Soroush Mahmudi, 50, and Majeed Kayhan, 58. (Toronto Police Service/CBC)

Police just finished a months-long, inch-by-inch search of McArthur's apartment, which they said netted more than 1,800 pieces of evidence.

Police still searching

Meanwhile, cadaver dogs are searching dozens of properties across the city where McArthur worked.

Police also plan to do more digging at a home on Mallory Crescent, near Toronto's Don Valley, where the dismembered remains of several men were found hidden in large garden planters.

Investigators said they have identified the remains of seven men, but not Kayhan's.

Det. Sgt. Hank Idsinga, who is leading the investigation, has said police don't know how long the probe will continue.

McArthur, who was arrested on Jan. 18, remains in custody at the Toronto South Detention Centre in Etobicoke, in suburban Toronto.

With files from Linda Ward