Tiny remote Canada town is on edge as three friends mysteriously VANISH - as cops refuse to link cases and conspiracy rumors swirl among locals

Rumors are swirling in a small remote town in Canada after three friends mysteriously vanished, yet authorities refrain from linking the cases. 

Lawrence Bertrim, 43, Robbie Thomson, 34, and Steve Tate, 34, have each disappeared mysteriously in the past 14 months, and they are believed to be friends. 

The residents of Smith Falls, Ontario, are left uneasy, as no arrests have been made in connection to the three cases, and the Ontario Provincial Police insist on investigating each case separately.

Since Bertrim vanished in September 2022, tales about how he died and his body was being treated have circulated among residents in the community.  

A year later, his friend Thomson disappeared, followed by the third individual, Tate, whose body was found in a ditch near the town earlier this week.

 I've lived in this town since I was five. For 42 years, this is the first time I'm not comfortable. I would not leave my house now,' Ellis Amanda told CBC recently. 

Similar to Amanda, many residents of Smith Falls, a town with a population of 9,300 located southwest of Ottawa, are feeling unnerved by the unexplained disappearances. 

'Police haven't said anything,' said resident Bill Linton. 'Which rumours do you believe? Rumours aren't facts.' 

Ontario police have remained tight-lipped about their investigation and declined to comment on the rumors running rampant in the remote, small town. 

Ontario Provincial Police's spokesperson Aaron Miller told InsideOttawaValley.com that the department's Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB) is overseeing all three cases. 

'While we are still treating these as individual and unique cases under the direction of separate CIB major case managers, having this oversight will ensure streamlined communication and sharing of information and resources,' he said. 

'Investigators realize that the Smiths Falls area is not huge and connections between people are possible due to proximity. 

'While we cannot speculate on any potential direct connection that could exist, these individuals have some common interests and may have shared mutual connections.'

 Bertrim was last seen on September 30 last year in downtown Smith Falls and has gone missing for more than 14 months. 

 In October, Ontario Provincial Police said in a press release that 'investigators have received an abundance of second-hand information' regarding Bertrim's disappearance. 

But they 'believe someone has key information' about his activities on the night he disappeared or in the days before. 

Bertrim was 42 when he went missing. He is described as five-foot-six, and around 149 lb  with a medium build. He has brown hair and blue eyes. 

Linda Young, Bertrim's mother, delivered a similar message in a video appeal released by police. 

'I know that people are hearing things and have information,' she said. 'Help bring my family some closure.'

The Smiths Falls Police Service requested assistance from the Ontario Provincial Police in December, 2022, and has been working with the OPP since January this year. 

His disappearance and unknown whereabouts have since sparked rumors around the town, with speculative tales only intensified after his friend Thomson went missing in October 2023. 

 Thomson was believed to disappear between October 12 and 18. The 34-year-old man is described as  six-foot-three, of medium build, with brown hair and brown eyes. 

His friends described him as a 'gentle giant', according to CBC. 

Investigators are asking anyone with potentially relevant doorbell, dashcam or other video recordings from the days leading up to Robbie's disappearance to contact police. 

The mystery surrounding the two unexplained missing cases deepened when Tate, believed to be a friend of Bertrim and Thomson, also went missing on November 4. 

His body was later found aling a rural stretch of a highway, around four miles from where he was last seen alive near Lombard and Lavinia streets in Smiths Falls. 

Police raided Tate's house last week as part of a drug investigation and discovered crystal methamphetamine, crack cocaine, cocaine, and other illegal drugs, along with firearms and an axe. 

Multiple people have been charged with possession and intent to distribute, but it's unclear if the drug investigation was related to Tate's death. 

The missing cases of Bertrim and Thomson are still open, and no arrests have been made as of Thursday evening.  

Authorities said foul play cannot be ruled out in all three cases.

Mayor Shawn Pankow stated that rampant speculation doesn't help the police and could harm the victims' families. 

'When gaps exist people tend to fill them in with their own assumptions, unfortunately,' he said.