Ottawa police will not confirm the human remains found in the backyard of a home on Heatherington Road are linked to accused serial killer Camille Cleroux who lived there about two decades ago.

Forensic investigators spent the day at 1535 Heatherington combing the yard. The remains were found by an Ottawa Community Housing construction crew Monday. A coroner has told police the remains are likely several years old.

"It's a very time consuming task to ensure every bit of forensic evidence is captured during this search," an inspector told CTV Ottawa's Catherine Lathem.

The potential link to Cleroux has frightened many in the neighbourhood.

"It's a little shocking and upsetting because it's so close to home , but as I said I'm surprised that this has happened here," said neighbour Jody Harrod.

A preliminary hearing started Tuesday morning for the accused killer believed to have lived in the residence up until the early 90s.

Cleroux was charged in June 2010 with the murder of his neighbour Paula Leclair.

Leclair's body was found in a wooded area behind the apartment building where she and Cleroux both lived at the time.

At the time, neighbours said Cleroux told them 64-year-old Leclair won the lottery, moved out and allowed him to move in.

Police said that was not true.

The probe led police to believe Cleroux could be behind the disappearance of two of his past wives.

Lise Roy, 27 vanished in 1990 and Jean Rock, 32, disappeared in 2003.

Neither woman was reported missing, as family members told police they believed the women had moved away and cut off all contact voluntarily.

Joseph Abdallah says as a teen he and his friends use to hang out with Cleroux at his unit on Heatherington Road where the remains were found.

Abdallah says he remembers when Cleroux's first wife disappeared and that he found it strange when Cleroux took up gardening.

"All of a sudden he had tomato plants and cucumber plants in his backyard," said Abdallah.

Police say they cannot release too much information regarding this case because the investigation is ongoing.

With a report from CTV Ottawa's Catherine Lathem