HALIFAX (BN24) — The investigation into the disappearance of two young children from their home in rural Lansdowne Station, Nova Scotia, Canada, continues to unfold more than three months after they were reported missing. Lilly Sullivan, 6, and Jack Sullivan, 4, were last seen on May 1, when their mother, Malehya Brooks-Murray, reported them missing the following day. The children lived at a property with their mother, stepfather Daniel Martell, and infant sister, about 140 kilometers northeast of Halifax.
The investigation has seen numerous developments, including searches of the surrounding woods, polygraph tests, and forensic analysis, with authorities releasing key details from court applications and documents filed by investigators. These records include unverified statements by police to support their ongoing investigation.
The timeline of the events leading up to the disappearance and the ensuing search is being pieced together through police records, official updates, and court documents. On April 28 and 29, the children attended school, but by April 30, they stayed home due to a pedagogical day. On May 1, the day their disappearance began to unfold, Lilly and Jack’s school was notified early in the morning that they would remain home due to a cough. By 2:25 p.m., investigators confirmed that the children were last seen independently outside the home, captured on surveillance video at a Dollarama store. This marked the final public sighting of the siblings.
Later that evening, around 9 p.m., the children were reportedly put to bed in the clothes they had worn earlier in the day. Lilly was wearing a pink sweater and pyjamas with white shapes, and Jack was dressed in black sweatpants and a T-shirt. At 6:15 a.m. on May 2, Brooks-Murray reported the children as sick to the school, but by mid-morning, she noticed that the house was eerily silent after the children had briefly woken up their infant sister.
By 10:01 a.m. on May 2, Brooks-Murray contacted police and reported Lilly and Jack missing, telling authorities that they might have wandered away from the house. She noted that the children, who were possibly autistic, were known to roam. Authorities immediately launched a search, and by 10:27 a.m., Pictou County RCMP officers arrived at the family home.
As the search for the missing children continued, a significant lead emerged at 4:00 p.m. that same day. Three family members discovered a pink blanket in the woods near Lansdowne Station Road, about one kilometre from the family home. The blanket was identified as Lilly’s, and police seized it for analysis. However, despite efforts, a subsequent dog search did not find any trace of the children.
By May 3, investigators had questioned the children’s biological father, Cody Sullivan, who confirmed that he had not seen Lilly and Jack in nearly three years. At this point, authorities considered all possible leads, including checking whether the children had been with their father in New Brunswick, but found no evidence to support this.
On May 4, another piece of Lilly’s blanket was found in a trash bag near the family house, further deepening the mystery of their disappearance. RCMP continued their investigation, which included an extensive ground search by Ground Search and Rescue (GSAR) teams on May 2 and May 7, but by May 7, the search was scaled back as authorities expressed doubt that the children could have survived alone in the woods for such an extended period.
In the following days, police conducted underwater searches of nearby bodies of water, including three ponds on May 8 and Lansdowne Lake on May 9. But no evidence was found. Investigators also turned to polygraph tests as part of their efforts to rule out potential suspects. On May 12, both Brooks-Murray and Martell underwent polygraph exams at Bible Hill RCMP detachment. Both were deemed truthful, with Brooks-Murray voluntarily agreeing to the test to clear herself as a suspect.
As the investigation stretched into June and July, authorities continued to follow leads. On June 19, the Nova Scotia government announced a reward of up to $150,000 for information leading to the whereabouts of the missing children. Meanwhile, polygraph tests were administered to several other individuals, including the children’s step-grandmother, Janie MacKenzie, and their maternal grandmother, Cindy Murray, both of whom were found truthful.
By July 16, RCMP confirmed that forensic testing on the pink blanket and other evidence was ongoing, with investigators still processing over 5,000 video files submitted by the public. The case remains open as authorities sift through every possible lead.
On August 22, RCMP confirmed that they are still considering all possible scenarios regarding the children’s disappearance. They continue to review tips and forensic analysis, with over 760 tips and 8,000 video files reviewed so far.
The case of the missing children continues to raise questions, and with each passing month, investigators press forward in their search for answers, determined to solve the mystery of Lilly and Jack’s disappearance.
