Police have identified the remains of Lawrence Bertrim, a 42-year-old man who went missing in September 2022, at a property near Smiths Falls in eastern Ontario. The discovery brings the total number of human remains found on the Kelly Jordan Road property to three. Bertrim's death is still under investigation and no charges have been laid. This marks the third time police have announced finding human remains on this single property since 2025, with four people already charged in connection with one of those cases.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-19,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Remains of Lawrence Bertrim, a 42-year-old man who went missing in September 2022, have been found at a property near Smiths Falls in eastern Ontario. This is the third set of human remains discovered at the same location, and police are still investigating the cause of death. The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) identified Bertrim's remains through forensic analysis, but no charges have been laid yet. A $50,000 reward remains on offer for information leading to a conviction in his case. Bertrim was last seen in downtown Smiths Falls and had been missing for nearly four years before his remains were found on August 6 at the property on Kelly Jordan Road. The discovery has brought relief to Bertrim's family, who have been waiting for answers for years.
Written for “Ottawa Missing Person Case” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
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No political leaning scored for article 1314 · logged 2026-08-21
Remains of 3rd missing person found at same Lanark County property
Police have ID'd remains as those of Lawrence Bertrim, missing since 2022
asserted
Police → miss → 2022
Provincial police say they have found a third set of human remains at a property near Smiths Falls in eastern Ontario.
asserted
they → say → Ontario
They have identified the latest remains as those of Lawrence Bertrim, who was last seen in downtown Smiths Falls in September 2022.
asserted
who → identify → September
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said they're still determining the cause of his death, and no charges have been laid.
asserted
charges → say → death
A $50,000 reward for information leading to a conviction in his case remains on offer, police said.
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police → lead → offer
"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.
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Patton → locate → 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."
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it → understand → evidence
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.
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they → say → July
No charges have been laid in Lambert's death, but police said at the time they suspected foul play.
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they → lay → play
The remains of Robbie Thomson were found on the same residential property in October 2025.
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remains → find → October
Four people have been charged in connection with his death, including three suspects charged with first-degree murder.
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people → charge → murder
Bertrim and Thomson knew each other, according to reporting by CBC News in 2023.
uncertain
Bertrim → know → 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.
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body → believe → November
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.
uncertain
discoveries → grip → reeve
A previous version of this story listed Steven Tate's age as 24.
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version → list → 24
