Toronto’s LGBTQ community is calling for an independent inquiry into how police handle missing persons cases and murder investigations following the arrest of alleged serial killer Bruce McArthur.
McArthur has been charged with six counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of missing men from the city’s gay community.
LGBTQ advocates have scheduled a press conference Thursday morning to discuss steps and recommendations to improve how disappearances should be treated.
This follows revelations that McArthur was interviewed by police for an alleged sexual assault during a date that reportedly went wrong in 2016.
McArthur, a 66-year-old self-employed landscaper, was interviewed before he was released. He was not charged.
The incident is now the subject of a professional standards unit investigation after Det. Sgt. Hank Idsinga, the officer leading the investigation into McArthur, reported it to the unit.
The date happened the year before the disappearances of Selim Esen and Andrew Kinsman.
VIDEO: Bruce McArthur arrested in 2016 for alleged choking incident, police source said
McArthur was arrested and charged with the first-degree murder of Esen and Kinsman on Jan. 18, following a months-long probe into missing persons cases. He was first considered a suspect in November 2017 during the investigation of the two missing men, Idsinga told Global News.
On Jan. 29, police said McArthur was charged with three more counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of Majeed Kayhan, Dean Lisowick and Soroush Mahmudi.
On Feb. 23, McArthur was charged with a sixth count of first-degree murder in the death of Skandaraj Navaratnam.
LGBTQ community members said Project Houston, the police investigation into the disappearance of three men between 2012 and 2014, should not have been closed.
In addition to an independent inquiry, the group said in a media release that it wants an interim anonymous reporting channel to be created for members of the community to report crimes without having to directly speak to police, as they say some are not comfortable coming forward.
READ MORE: Police release photo of body of man linked to alleged Toronto serial killer Bruce McArthur
There is also a call for Toronto police to implement a satellite office in he Gay Village to foster a more transparent relationship between officers and the LGBTQ community.
The Toronto Police Services Board is also meeting Thursday afternoon to discuss an independent external review of police practices related to missing persons investigations.
VIDEO: Internal Toronto police probe related to Bruce McArthur investigation
-With a file from Catherine McDonald
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