Third set of human remains uncovered at Smiths Falls property

Police have located a third set of human remains on a densely wooded property outside of Smiths Falls, Ont.

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.

A cause of death has not been determined and charges have not yet been laid, police said.

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.

“We’re sad. We know now he is gone. But we’re happy he’s coming home,” said Bertrim’s mother, Lindle 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.”

OPP Sgt. Erin Cranton said investigators found Bertrim’s remains on Aug. 6.

That means 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.

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.

Bertrim’s connection to the address is unknown. Sgt. Cranton, meanwhile, confirmed no charges have been laid in connection to Lambert’s death.

“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,” Sgt. Cranton said in a video statement.

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.