ALLEGED serial killer Bruce McArthur has been charged with first-degree murder in relation to the death of an eighth victim.

McArthur was arrested on January 18 and charged with six counts of first-degree murder in relation to the deaths of Selim Esen, Andrew Kinsman, Soroush Mahmaudi, Dean Lisowick, Majeed Kayhan and Skanda Navaratnam.

Last week, he was charged with the murder of Abdulbasir Faizi, who disappeared on December 29, 2010. He had last been seen in the area of Church and Wellesley streets and his vehicle was recovered on Moore Avenue. His family reported him missing to Peel Regional Police shortly afterwards.

“One of the focuses of the investigation has been on human remains found in planters at Mallory Crescent,” said Detective Sergeant Hank Idsinga at a press conference at police headquarters on April 16. “I had previously stated that the remains of at least seven individuals have been located within these planters.”

The remains of Kinsman, Mahmaudi, Navaratnam, Esen, Lisowick and Faizi had been previously identified.

On March 5, investigators released a photograph of a deceased man who was believed to be a victim of McArthur, in an attempt to identify him.

The remains of this man have now been identified as Kirushna Kumar Kanagaratnam, who came to Canada in 2010 from Sri Lanka and resided in Scarborough.

“He was not on file as missing and we have no prior evidence which would link him to the Gay Village,” said Idsinga. “We believe that Mr. Kanagaratnam was murdered between the time period of September 3 and December 14, 2015.”

He would have been 37 at the time of his murder.

Idsinga said the identification was confirmed with the assistance of an international government agency.

He also acknowledged the work of the officers on Project Prism.

“We knew that, eventually, they would get the job done and would identify this eighth victim,” said Idsinga. “The stress and anxiety over dealing with hundreds of tips, hundreds of missing persons’ occurrences and dozens of potential identifications for the eighth victim has been enormous. While we are saddened, we are also tremendously proud and relieved to have been able to bring closure to the friends and family of Mr. Kanagaratnam and the seven other victims.”

Idsinga thanked those who have come forward and provided tips and encouraged anyone who has not heard from police, or who has information about McArthur, to contact investigators.

People wishing to provide information can do so by calling 416-808-2021. They can also call anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 416-222-TIPS or 222tips.com.

• BY RON FANFAIR – Toronto Police Service