Rumours run amok in Smiths Falls, Ont., following unexplained disappearances and the death of a man earlier this week who was known to live in a house where police say drugs were sold.
Police provide few answers on cases of 3 men from Smiths Falls, Ont.
Stu Mills · CBC News
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In the quiet town of Smiths Falls, Ont., an unsettling shadow has cast a pall over the community, leaving residents on edge and speculation running rampant.
Recent unexplained disappearances have left the eastern Ontario town, featuring a population of about 9,300, with more questions than answers.
The mystery began in the fall of 2022 when Lawrence Bertrim, who was 42 at the time, disappeared.
His acquaintance Robbie Thomson, 34, was reported missing a little over a year later — around mid-October.
And earlier this month, the body of 34-year-old Steve Tate — believed to be an acquaintance of Bertrim and Thomson — was discovered in a ditch along Highway 15, just north of town.
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have not linked the three cases. The force has said only that its investigations are ongoing.
Rumour mill swirls
With no arrests and police remaining tight-lipped, rumours have swirled in this quaint former rail hub 72 kilometres southwest of Ottawa.
“Police haven’t said anything,” said resident Bill Linton. “Which rumours do you believe? Rumours aren’t facts.”
Kelley Denham, who runs a Facebook group of about 8,000 local residents, said the closure of the Smiths Falls Record newspaper earlier this year, paired with Meta’s recent ban on Facebook posts by Canadian news outlets, has contributed to an information free-for-all.
“It’s like people have forgotten how journalism works,” said Denham. “Now we don’t have news. We just have rumours. Lots and lots of rumours.”
Since Bertrim’s disappearance nearly 14 months ago, Denham said a gruesome, unconfirmed account has circulated detailing how the man died and what might have happened to his body. The community has treated it like an “open secret,” she added.
Information gaps
Mayor Shawn Pankow said the rampant speculation doesn’t help police and can be harmful to the victims’ families. He also believes the Facebook ban and decline of local community news is “concerning.”
“When gaps exist people tend to fill them in with their own assumptions, unfortunately,” he said.
In February, five months after Bertrim was last seen, OPP joined the investigation led by the Smiths Falls Police Service.
In a recent news release marking one year since Bertrim was last seen, investigators said they had been “receiving an abundance of second-hand information,” and implored residents to come forward with facts.
A similar message came from Bertrim’s mother, Linda Young, in a video appeal released by OPP at the same time.
“I know that people are hearing things and have information,” said Young. “Help bring my family some closure.”
Police appeal for information
This week, OPP spokesperson Aaron Miller wouldn’t comment on the rumours circulating in town. He said that people with first-hand knowledge who haven’t yet contacted police should do so.
It’s a similar situation in the case of Robbie Thomson, described by friends as a “gentle giant.” He disappeared sometime between Oct. 12 and 18.
Smiths Falls police initially opened an investigation into his disappearance, but it soon came under the purview of the OPP’s Criminal Investigation Branch.
OPP put out a call for anyone with potentially relevant doorbell, dashcam or other video recordings from the days leading up to Thomson’s disappearance.
The third man, Steve Tate, was reported missing Nov. 4. He had been seen near his home on Lavinia Street on the south side of Smiths Falls in the early morning hours that day.
Tate’s body was later found near Highway 15. Police were quick to reassure residents there was no threat to public safety.Â
Criminal investigations
Miller said OPP investigators are looking into the cases of Bertrim, Thomson and Tate separately. But a senior officer has been providing oversight to “ensure streamlined communication and sharing of information and resources” between the three investigations, he added.
People who knew the three men said all three knew each other, and that each had a history of drug use. Police also pointed out the three men shared similar interests.
Then last week, police raided Tate’s house, where he was last seen alive, as part of a drug investigation.
String of disappearances in Smith Falls, Ont. has left some residents feeling ‘unnerved’
Featured VideoSome residents in Smith Falls, Ont. said they want more information from police about the recent string of disappearances of three men in the area over the past year, including one whose body was found earlier this week.
Officers said they found crystal methamphetamine, crack cocaine, cocaine and other illegal drugs, along with firearms and an axe. Police charged several people with possession and intent to distribute.
“I know a lot of people aren’t feeling very safe in this community,” said nearby resident Amanda Ellis, who knew Thomson and Bertrim.
Ellis said a lack of information from police has residents scared, while some suggest something much darker is happening.
“What’s to stop this when there aren’t arrests, there aren’t repercussions?” Ellis said.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
You can reach Stu Mills by email at stu.mills@cbc.ca.
