Provincial authorities have confirmed the discovery of a third set of human remains on a property located near Smiths Falls in eastern Ontario.
The recently identified remains belong to Lawrence Bertrim, who was last seen in downtown Smiths Falls in September 2022.
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) stated that the cause of his death is still under investigation, and no charges have yet been filed. They also mentioned that there is a $50,000 reward available for information that leads to a conviction in his case.
At the time of his disappearance, Bertrim was 42 years old.
“Finding Lawrence Bertrim marks an important moment for his family, who have been seeking answers for almost four years, as well as for the investigative team that has tirelessly pursued this case,” said OPP Det. Insp. Jennifer Patton in a press release.
“We recognize the public’s interest in the revelation of three missing persons at a single site, and we request patience as our investigators continue to follow the evidence wherever it may lead,” she added.
Police indicated that Bertrim’s remains were uncovered on the Kelly Jordan Road property on August 6, just one day after they announced the discovery of another missing individual, Robert Lambert, whose body was found on the same property in July.
While no charges have been made in Lambert’s case, authorities had expressed earlier suspicions of foul play.
The remains of Robbie Thomson were discovered on the same residential property in October 2025. Four individuals have been charged in relation to his death, with three of them facing first-degree murder charges.
According to CBC News reporting in 2023, Bertrim and Thomson were acquaintances. It was believed at the time that they also knew Steven Tate, a 34-year-old man whose body was found in a ditch along Highway 15 in November 2023.
The deaths of Tate, along with the disappearances of Bertrim and Thomson, captivated the community of Smiths Falls, and the findings of the first two sets of remains had a profound impact on the small town and its surrounding rural regions, according to the local reeve.