Human remains found earlier this month on a Kelly Jordan Road property northeast of Smiths Falls have been identified as Lawrence Bertrim, ending a nearly four-year search for the missing Smiths Falls man.
The Ontario Provincial Police announced Tuesday, Aug. 18, that officers located the remains on the property Aug. 6.
A postmortem examination identified the deceased as Bertrim, who was 42 when he disappeared. He was last seen at about 11 p.m. on Sept. 30, 2022, in downtown Smiths Falls.
His cause of death has not been determined and no charges have been laid in connection with his death.
The discovery marks the third set of human remains found on the Kelly Jordan Road property since October 2025.
“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,” OPP East Region Sgt. Erin Cranton said in a video released Tuesday.
“We are committed to getting answers and continuing this investigation, and we’ll share more information as it becomes available.”
The identification is the latest development in a complex investigation that has unfolded over several years and involved searches throughout the Smiths Falls area.
Bertrim’s disappearance was initially investigated by the Smiths Falls Police Service. The OPP became involved in December 2022.
Over the years, investigators conducted ground searches, neighbourhood canvasses and interviews while repeatedly appealing to anyone with first-hand information to come forward.
The investigation eventually became intertwined publicly with the disappearance of another Smiths Falls man, Robbie Thomson.
Thomson was reported missing Oct. 19, 2023. Police believe he disappeared sometime between Oct. 12 and 18 of that year.
In July 2024, police conducted an extensive ground search as part of the investigations into the two missing men.
Three months later, OPP divers searched a section of the Rideau River at Lower Reach Park in Smiths Falls for evidence connected with the Bertrim and Thomson investigations. A stolen vehicle was recovered from the river, but no human remains were found inside.
Police continued to say they could not rule out a connection between the two disappearances.
In July 2025, officers executed a search warrant at an Empress Avenue property in Smiths Falls in connection with Thomson’s disappearance.
Then, in October 2025, the Thomson investigation changed dramatically.
Christopher Fenton, 48, and Erin Mackie, 40, both of Montague Township, and Joshua Belfiori, 34, of Kingston, were arrested and charged with first-degree murder in connection with Thomson’s death.
The charges have not been proven in court.
The following day, Oct. 30, police executed a search warrant at a property on Kelly Jordan Road northeast of Smiths Falls and located human remains.
Those remains were subsequently identified as Thomson.
At the time, OPP media relations co-ordinator Bill Dickson was asked whether police could rule out a connection between the Thomson and Bertrim investigations.
“We can’t rule out anything; we can only investigate,” he told CityNews Ottawa.
A fourth person was charged months later.
On April 21, 2026, Mark Fenton, 42, of Smiths Falls, was arrested and charged with accessory after the fact to murder in connection with Thomson’s death.
That charge has also not been proven in court.
Police remained at or returned to the Kelly Jordan Road property as the investigation continued.
On July 20, officers located a second set of human remains there.
A postmortem examination identified those remains as Robert Lambert of Montague Township.
Lambert was 75 when he disappeared. He had last been seen in early July 2018 but was not reported missing to Lanark County OPP until Nov. 30 of that year.
Police said earlier this month that Lambert’s cause of death had not been determined and no arrests had been made in connection with his death.
At that time, OPP Det.-Insp. Marty McConnell cautioned against speculation as investigators continued their work.
“Our focus remains on following the evidence and conducting a thorough investigation,” McConnell said. “While we understand the community’s desire for answers, it is too early to speculate, and not all questions can be answered at this time.”
Police also said they did not believe the investigations were directly connected, although some of the people involved may have known one another or shared social circles.
One day after police publicly announced Lambert’s identification, investigators made another discovery on Kelly Jordan Road.
Police have not said how Bertrim came to be on the property, when he died or whether his death is considered a homicide.
They have also not publicly established a connection among the deaths of Bertrim, Lambert and Thomson beyond the fact that their remains were recovered from the same property.
The investigation remains active under the direction of the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch, involving Lanark County OPP and the Smiths Falls Police Service, along with the Office of the Chief Coroner and Ontario Forensic Pathology Service.
Numerous specialized OPP units have assisted, including forensic identification services, the Emergency Response Team, Canine Unit, Aviation Services and the Urban Search and Rescue CBRNE Response Team.
Police say an increased presence will remain on Kelly Jordan Road as investigators continue their work.
A $50,000 Government of Ontario reward also remains in place for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for Bertrim’s disappearance.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the dedicated OPP tip line at 1-844-677-9404. Anonymous information can be provided through Crime Stoppers.
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Human remains identified as those of missing Montague Township man Robert Lambert
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