CAPTION: Alleged serial killer Bruce McArthur is facing a seventh first-degree murder charge, as Toronto police say the remains of three more men have been identified.

McArthur was charged Wednesday in the death of Abdulbasir Faizi. (April 11, 2018) 1.

SOUNDBITE: Det.

Sgt.

Hank Idsinga PLACELINE: Toronto CREDIT: The Canadian Press STORYLINE: Police have identified the remains of more men suspected to have been murdered by alleged serial killer Bruce McArthur as they expand their investigation more than four decades into the past.

Det.

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Hank Idsinga said the 66-year-old self-employed landscaper is now facing a total of seven first-degree murder charges related to the deaths of men with ties to Toronto's LGBTQ community.

The most recent count was laid on Wednesday, when McArthur was formally charged in the death of 42-year-old Abdulbasir Faizi.

McArthur had already been charged with the first-degree murder of six other men who are believed to have died between 2010 and 2017.

Idsinga said the sprawling investigation is now scrutinizing 22 unsolved homicides that took place between 1975 and 1997.

While he said there is no current evidence linking McArthur to the cold cases, he said they fit the general profile of the alleged victims identified to date. ``We may discover cases from the 70s, we may discover that 2010 was the first murder,'' Idsinga told a news conference. ``We just don't know yet.''