Remains of 3rd missing person found at same property near Ottawa

Provincial police say they have found a third set of human remains at a property near Smiths Falls in eastern Ontario.

They have identified the latest remains as those of Lawrence Bertrim, who was last seen in downtown Smiths Falls in September 2022.

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said they're still determining the cause of his death, and no charges have been laid. A $50,000 reward for information leading to a conviction in his case remains on offer, police said.

Bertrim was 42 at the time of his disappearance.

"Locating Lawrence Bertrim is a significant development for his family, who have waited nearly four years for answers, and for the investigative team, who have worked relentlessly on this case," said OPP Det. Insp. Jennifer Patton in the news release.

"We understand the public interest generated by the discovery of three missing persons on a single property, and we ask for patience as investigators continue to follow the evidence wherever it leads."

Police said Bertrim's remains were found on the Kelly Jordan Road property on Aug. 6, the day after they announced they had found the body of another missing man, Robert Lambert, on the same property in July.

No charges have been laid in Lambert's death, but police said at the time they suspected foul play.

• Murder accused in Smiths Falls disappearance co-owns house with another missing man

The remains of Robbie Thomson were found on the same residential property in October 2025. Four people have been charged in connection with his death, including three suspects charged with first-degree murder.

Bertrim and Thomson knew each other, according to reporting by CBC News in 2023. At the time, the pair were believed to have also known 34-year-old Steven Tate, whose body was discovered in a ditch along Highway 15 in November 2023.

Tate's death and the disappearance of Bertrim and Thomson gripped the Smiths Falls area, and the discoveries of the first two sets of remains deeply affected the small town and surrounding rural area, according to the local reeve.