Disappearance of Lilly and Jack Sullivan

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Disappearance of Jack and Lilly Sullivan
LillyJackSullivan2.jpg
Lilly Sullivan, left, and Jack Sullivan, right
Disappearance of Lilly and Jack Sullivan
DateMay 2, 2025 (2025-05-02)
Duration Missing for 4 months and 18 days
Location Pictou County, Nova Scotia
Coordinates 45°25′50″N62°49′22″W / 45.43056°N 62.82278°W / 45.43056; -62.82278
OutcomeUnsolved
Missing
  • Lilly Sullivan (aged 6 years)
  • Jack Sullivan (aged 4 years)

Canadian siblings Lilly Sullivan (born 2019) and Jack Sullivan (born 2020) disappeared from their rural home on Gairloch Road in Lansdowne Station, Pictou County, Nova Scotia, on May 2, 2025. [1] [2]

Contents

A large-scale search effort was undertaken in the days immediately following their disappearance, which was mostly scaled back on May 7 after no trace of the children was found. Several further individual organized search efforts have taken place in the weeks since, which have not resulted in any significant findings. [3] Police investigation into the disappearance has included interviews of at least 54 individuals, some of whom were administered polygraph testing. [4] Authorities have stated that there is no evidence that the children were abducted, but that they have "not ruled out" that the disappearance is suspicious. [5] [6]

The case has captured widespread attention both across Canada and internationally [4] [7] [8] due to the unusual circumstances surrounding the disappearance. As of September 2025, the Government of Nova Scotia is offering a reward of up to $150,000 for information that is deemed to be of "investigative value" to the search for the missing siblings. [7] [9] [10]

Background

The Sullivan siblings lived with their biological mother Malehya Brooks-Murray, their stepfather Daniel Martell, and their one-year-old baby sister at a rural property on Gairloch Road in Landsdowne, Nova Scotia. The property has been described as being surrounded by woods, steep banks, and thick brush. According to Martell, both Jack and Lilly were kept home from school on Thursday, May 1, and Friday, May 2, because Lilly had a cough. They had also not been at school on Wednesday, April 30, because there was no school due to a professional development (PD) day for teachers. [2] [11]

According to police records, on April 30, the siblings along with their mother, stepfather, and younger sister went for groceries together and arrived back home by 10:19 p.m. that evening. During the afternoon of May 1, the five travelled to nearby New Glasgow where Jack and Lilly were captured on video surveillance with their family at a Dollarama store at 2:25 p.m. [12] [13] Brooks-Murray initially stated to police that she put Jack and Lilly to bed at 9 p.m. on May 1, later changing the time to 10 p.m. in a subsequent statement. She also stated that Martell had stayed up after she went to bed that night, and she did not know what time he had come to bed. [14]

On the morning of May 2 at 6:15 a.m., Brooks-Murray marked the children absent from school due to illness. [15]

Disappearance

At some point between 8:00 and 9:40 a.m. on May 2, Martell and Brooks-Murray claim that while they were both in the bedroom with their one-year-old daughter, Meadow, Lilly came in and out of the bedroom several times, and Jack could be heard in the kitchen. Shortly afterward, they say they could no longer hear either of them, and never saw the two children again.

Brooks-Murray said that Martell had put a wrench on top of the front door the night before and it hadn't been disturbed, so Martell surmised that the siblings must have gone out the back sliding door, which he also stated was typically silent when opened. Brooks-Murray stated that she and Martell then looked for the siblings outside, yelling out for them. Martell's mother, Janie Mackenzie, who lived in a separate building on the same property, said she fell asleep around 8:50 a.m. and awoke to the sound of her dog barking, and then heard Jack and Lilly playing on the swings and laughing in the backyard before she fell back asleep.

At 10:01 a.m., Brooks-Murray called 9-1-1 to report Jack and Lilly missing. Lilly is said to have likely been wearing a pink sweater, pink pants, and pink boots, and Jack blue dinosaur boots, when they disappeared. [16] [8] Martell told police that while initially searching in the forest he thought he heard a scream that sounded like it could have been Jack or Lilly, but a helicopter flying overhead then made it impossible to hear anything further. [15] [14]

Aftermath and investigation

May 2025

At 12:25 p.m. ADT on May 2, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) issued a statement notifying the public about the disappearance, asking anyone who may have information to come forward. At the time, police stated their belief that the children had wandered away from their home, and that there was no evidence of abduction. At 4:55 p.m., police issued an update advising a vulnerable missing persons advisory had been issued for Pictou County, and asking the public to stay clear of the area where the disappearance is said to have taken place. [2]

At 12:45 a.m. on May 3, Brooks-Murray called police to report that the siblings' estranged biological father, Cody Sullivan, may have taken the children across the border to New Brunswick. Police response to this call included a visit to Sullivan's home at 2:50 a.m., where he stated he had not seen Jack or Lilly for three years. Police later made a request to obtain camera footage at the Cobequid Pass, which is a toll plaza located on the Trans-Canada Highway on the route to New Brunswick. [15] [14]

Later on May 3, police and volunteers numbering at least 100 searched the area surrounding the siblings' home using ground search, dogs, drones, and helicopters to aid in the search. The siblings' mother, Malehya Brooks-Murray, spoke to CTV News and stated that she was still "hopeful" the children would be located, saying "we just want them home as soon as possible". She further elaborated, saying that "[the night of May 2] was one of the worst nights because I didn’t have them in their beds, and I don’t want to go another night without them". [16] The same day, Nova Scotia premier Tim Houston released a statement: "People in Pictou County and across Nova Scotia are praying for a positive outcome for two missing children. During this time of worry, please know that our first responders and volunteers are working tirelessly during this 24/7 operation". [2]

By May 4, the number of people searching had reached 160, according to RCMP staff sergeant Curtis MacKinnon. Martell said he wanted authorites to "monitor the New Brunswick border" and nearby airports in case the children were abducted. [2] On May 6, Martell told CBC News that after the siblings' disappearance, their mother left the area to be with her family in another part of Nova Scotia, and blocked him on social media. The siblings' maternal grandmother Cyndy Murray spoke with The Canadian Press over the phone, stating that the family is hoping and praying for the recovery of the children. She also stated that police had advised the family "against speaking to the media". [2] [11]

On May 7, police announced that the search for the missing children had been "scaled back", with staff sergeant MacKinnon saying that there hadn't "been any confirmed sightings" of the children and that it was unlikely they were still alive. On May 18, a renewed search took place with 115 volunteers in addition to police personnel. [17] [11] [8]

On May 28, a RCMP Major Crime Unit representative disclosed that the siblings were confirmed to have been "observed in public with family members" on May 1, the day before they were reported missing by their mother and stepfather. [12] The location of where they were observed was not made public by authorities at the time, [13] but it was later revealed to be a Dollarama store in the neighboring town of New Glasgow. [14] Regarding this development, the siblings' stepfather Martell told CBC News that the police had retrieved surveillance footage of himself, Brooks-Murray, their one-year-old baby, as well as Lilly and Jack in nearby New Glasgow, but that the precise location of where the footage took place could not be disclosed because it may impact the ongoing investigation. [18]

June 2025

On June 11, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police agency provided an update on the case stating that their "intensive approach" to the investigation is continuing. The police agency elaborated that the investigation may take "longer than" they had hoped, and that they are considering all possible scenarios and are partnering with agencies across the country. The agency said more than 11 Nova Scotia RCMP units are working on the case, including the Major Crime Unit and the Criminal Analysis Service. [19] [20] [21]

The agency disclosed key details of the ongoing investigation, including that "hundreds of hours" of video of the areas surrounding the location of the disappearance had been collected, that they had formally interviewed 54 people in connection with the investigation which included the administration of polygraph testing, and that many of the 488 tips they've received have been assessed. The agency confirmed they'd been granted numerous legal authorizations to seize and examine materials and devices that may prove useful to the investigation. Corporal Sandy Matharu, identified as the lead investigator on the case, stated that the RCMP is "accessing, evaluating and analyzing a significant volume of information from a variety of sources", and that they have a "very coordinated and deliberate approach" which they say will ensure that "all information is meticulously scrutinized, prioritized and actioned to ensure nothing is missed". [19] [20] [21] [4]

August 2025

Redacted court documents associated with the case were released in August 2025 subsequent to a request for information submitted on behalf of The Globe and Mail, CBC News, and the Canadian Press, which revealed detailed information about the investigation. The documents revealed that as of July 16, the RCMP no longer considered the case to be "criminal in nature", along with several other intricate details pertaining to the disappearance. [14] [15]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "MCSC - Missing Children Cases". Missing Children Society of Canada. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "2 Nova Scotia children are still missing. Here's a timeline of the case". CBC News. May 16, 2025. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
  3. ↑ Jerrett, Andrea (May 30, 2025). "Search for missing N.S. children to resume in Pictou County this weekend". CTV News. Retrieved May 31, 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 Sundel, Jenna (June 11, 2025). "Lilly and Jack Sullivan Update: Officials Conduct Polygraph Interviews". Newsweek. Retrieved June 28, 2025.
  5. ↑ "What we know about the search for missing N.S. children". CBC News.
  6. ↑ "Three weeks since two young children reported missing in rural Nova Scotia". CTV News. May 23, 2025. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
  7. 1 2 Cuthbertson, Richard (June 19, 2025). "N.S. offers $150K for information about disappearance of Jack and Lilly Sullivan". CBC News. Retrieved June 28, 2025.
  8. 1 2 3 Cecco, Leyland (May 7, 2025). "Canadian police scale back search for two children missing in woods for six days". The Guardian . Retrieved May 23, 2025.
  9. ↑ Lau, Rebecca (June 19, 2025). "N.S. missing kids: Province offers $150K reward in search for Lilly and Jack". Global News. Retrieved June 28, 2025.
  10. ↑ "Rewards for Major Unsolved Crimes; Lilly and Jack Sullivan". Government of Nova Scotia. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  11. 1 2 3 Silverman, Hollie (May 10, 2025). "Lilly and Jack Sullivan: Latest Update as Kids Missing for Over a Week". Newsweek. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
  12. 1 2 Lambie, Chris (May 28, 2025). "Missing Nova Scotia siblings, Lilly and Jack, were seen with family the day before they disappeared". National Post. Archived from the original on May 28, 2025. Retrieved May 31, 2025.
  13. 1 2 Taheri, Mandy (May 28, 2025). "Lilly and Jack Update: Police Release New Information on Missing Kids". Newsweek. Retrieved May 31, 2025.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 MacIvor, Angela (August 22, 2025). "RCMP scrutiny of missing N.S. children's mother, stepfather suggests no criminal involvement". CBC News. Archived from the original on August 22, 2025. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  15. 1 2 3 4 Jones, Lindsay (August 22, 2025). "Court documents reveal items seized and found by police during search for Jack and Lilly Sullivan". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on August 22, 2025. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  16. 1 2 Tsicos, Stephanie (May 3, 2025). "'We just want them home': Mother of missing children in Nova Scotia's Pictou County pleads for safe return". CTV News. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
  17. ↑ Rodrigues, Gabby (May 23, 2025). "Police remain silent as Nova Scotia missing kids investigation hits Week 3". Global News. Archived from the original on May 23, 2025. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
  18. ↑ Thomson, Aly (May 30, 2025). "4 weeks after disappearance of N.S. children, stepfather remains hopeful". CBC News . Retrieved May 31, 2025.
  19. 1 2 "Nova Scotia RCMP's intensive approach to missing persons investigation continues". Royal Canadian Mounted Police. June 11, 2025. Retrieved June 28, 2025.
  20. 1 2 O'Neill, Natasha (June 19, 2025). "Province offering $150K for information in missing Sullivan children case". City News Kitchener. Retrieved June 28, 2025.
  21. 1 2 Lau, Rebecca (June 11, 2025). "N.S. missing kids: RCMP say search for Lilly and Jack 'may take longer' than hoped". Global News. Retrieved June 28, 2025.
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