Lawrence Bertrim was 42 years old when he was last seen in 2022. He was located on a property that’s at the centre of a sprawling homicide case.
Bridget Manahan holds a photo of her brother, Lawrence Bertrim, in Perth, Feb. 13, 2026. Photo by TONY CALDWELL /POSTMEDIAArticle content
Police have located a third set of human remains on a densely wooded property outside of Smiths Falls.
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The remains have been identified as belonging to Lawrence Bertrim, who was 42 years old when he was last seen in downtown Smiths Falls on Sept. 30, 2022.
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A cause of death has not been determined and charges have not yet been laid, police said on Aug. 18.
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The discovery is the latest strange revelation for Smiths Falls, a town southwest of Ottawa that in recent years has struggled to understand the disappearance of three men from the area, all of whom have now been traced back to a single parcel of land.
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“We’re sad. We know now he is gone. But we’re happy he’s coming home,” said Bertrim’s mother, Linda Mindle, who helped lead an active four-year campaign to locate her missing son.
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“As a parent, I get to bury my child now. Which hurts. But I’m happy that I’m not going to my grave not knowing where he is.”
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Bridget Manahan and her mother, Linda Mindle, both of Perth, led an active four-year campaign to locate Lawrence Bertrim, who disappeared from the streets of Smiths Falls in September 2022. Photo by Tony Caldwell /PostmediaArticle content
OPP Sgt. Erin Cranton said investigators found Bertrim’s remains on Aug. 6.
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That meant his discovery came a day after police found the remains of Robert Lambert on the same property, located at 572 Kelly Jordan Rd. in Montague Township, west of Highway 15.
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Lambert was 75 when he was last seen in the summer of 2018. He had been an owner of the 40-acre Kelly Jordan Road property, and his remains were long suspected of being interred somewhere amid the thickly growing trees there.
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The remains of Robert Lambert, Robbie Thomson and Lawrence Bertrim were all located on this densely wooded property near Smiths Falls. Photo by Tony Caldwell /PostmediaArticle content
Bertrim’s connection to the address is unknown. Cranton, meanwhile, confirmed no charges had been laid in connection with Lambert’s death.
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“We understand there is concern from the public as this is the third set of human remains located on the property on Kelly Jordan Road,” Cranton said in a video statement.
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The OPP Criminal Investigation Branch has been searching the property, save for a hiatus over winter, since October, when they located the remains of another missing man, Robbie Thomson, 34.
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OPP had not yet located Thomson’s body before they arrested three people in connection with his death.
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Charged with first-degree murder are Christopher Philip Fenton, 48, Erin Lynn Mackie, 41, and Joshua Joseph Belfiori, 35, of Bath, Ont.
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A fourth person, 42-year-old Mark Fenton, was arrested in April and charged with accessory after the fact to murder in connection with Thomson’s death.
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Mark Fenton was released on bail in July.
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Christopher Fenton and Mackie were both listed on the police charge sheet as living at the Kelly Jordan property at the time of their arrests.
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Erin Lynn Mackie and Christopher Philip Fenton, September 2018 Photo by Supplied /FACEBOOKArticle content
The disappearances over recent years of Thomson, Lambert and Bertrim, all from the Smiths Falls area, led many in the small community to believe the men’s cases were linked.
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A fourth man who locals frequently connect with the disappearances, Steven Tate, 34, was last seen alive on Nov. 4, 2023. His body turned up some days later at the side of Highway 15 not far from Kelly Jordan Road.
| # | Наименование новости | Тональность | Информативность | Дата публикации |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Near Smiths Falls, second set of human remains found on same property | 0 | 11.57 | 05-08-2026 |
| 2 | Human remains discovered in Maine identified as missing mother of two last seen walking barefoot | -5 | 5 | 14-11-2025 |
| 3 | Remains found during search for missing Butler County man | 0 | 12.94 | 29-07-2026 |
| 4 | Saskatchewan RCMP searching for vehicle connected to Sandy Bay homicide probe | 0 | 7.35 | 18-08-2026 |
| 5 | Human remains found buried behind Freeport home, suspect in custody | 0 | 7 | 26-06-2026 |
| 6 | Search for missing Vermont man in Deerfield ends after body found | 0 | 5.82 | 01-08-2026 |
| 7 | Body recovered from Connecticut River in Northampton | 0 | 5 | 15-07-2026 |
| 8 | Missing person cold case solved after 25 years, says Connecticut State Police | 0 | 5 | 06-05-2026 |
| 9 | Skeletal remains of three people found in Burlington home: State police | -1 | 5 | 16-06-2026 |