Case of alleged serial killer Bruce McArthur put over to Oct. 5

Bruce McArthur, the alleged serial killer charged with eight counts of first-degree murder, made a brief Wednesday morning court appearance via a video link from a Toronto jail.

A justice of the peacehasplaced the details of this appearance under a publication ban. McArthur, a66-year-old self-employed landscaper, appeared tired.

He is set to return to court in person on Oct. 5.

McArthur is accused of killing eight men, many of whom had ties to the city'sGay Village, and were reported missing between 2010 and 2017.

They are: 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.

In July, police finished a nine-day, inch-by-inch search of a ravine near a homeon Mallory Crescent, where the dismembered remains of several men were found buriedin large garden planters.McArthurworked as a landscaper at the north Toronto property for 10 years in exchange for equipment storage.

Acting Insp. Hank Idsinga, who is leading the investigation, has said police have no reason to believe they will find the remains of any other possible victims at any of the roughly 100 properties they have searched across the Greater Toronto Area.

Idsinga noted that investigators continue, however, to review cold-case files and missing-persons cases dating back to the 1970s and 1980s.He also said the service continues to field tips from the public about the case.

McArthurhas been in custody at the Toronto South Detention Centre inEtobicokesince his arrest onJan. 18.