Toronto police chief’s comments on 2012 missing men probe anger LGBTQ community
TORONTO — A suggestion by Toronto’s police chief that an alleged serial killer would have been arrested sooner if the public had been more co-operative with investigators has angered LGBTQ residents and could worsen already strained relationships with them, community leaders said Tuesday.
Chief Mark Saunders told the Globe and Mail that “nobody” came to officers with information in 2012 when police launched Project Houston, an ultimately unsuccessful investigation into multiple men who went missing from the city’s gay village.
Police arrested self-employed landscaper Bruce McArthur in January, and have since charged him with six counts of first-degree murder. Most of his alleged victims were men who had gone missing from the gay village, and two were among those whose disappearances were investigated by Project Houston.
Saunders issued a statement Tuesday evening saying he had spoken with Globe reporters about the challenges faced by police and the force’s desire to work with the community.