More than a year after two young siblings vanished from their rural Nova Scotia home, the whereabouts of Lilly and Jack Sullivan remain unknown, leaving their family searching for answers and investigators continuing to examine what happened on the morning they disappeared.

Lilly Sullivan, 6, and her younger brother Jack, 4, were reported missing from their home on Gairloch Road in the Lansdowne area of Pictou County on May 2, 2025. Their disappearance immediately triggered a large-scale search involving police officers, volunteers, search dogs, drones and aircraft. Despite extensive efforts around the property and surrounding wooded areas, no confirmed trace of either child has been found.

The circumstances surrounding their disappearance have made the case particularly difficult for investigators. According to information released during the investigation, Lilly and Jack were believed to have been inside the home that morning. Their mother, Malehya Brooks-Murray, later said she had seen Lilly and heard both children playing before she went back to sleep. When she woke, the children were no longer there.

Police were contacted shortly afterward, and an immediate search began. Investigators initially considered the possibility that the siblings had wandered away from the property. The surrounding landscape, however, presented significant challenges, with woods, thick vegetation and steep terrain around the rural home.

In the first days, hundreds of people took part in the search. Police and volunteers searched the surrounding woods and property while helicopters, drones and trained dogs were used to look for signs of the children. Authorities eventually scaled back the large-scale operation after no confirmed sightings or evidence were found, although investigators continued working on the case and later organized additional searches.

One important development came later in May 2025, when the RCMP confirmed that Lilly and Jack had been seen in public with members of their family the day before they disappeared. Surveillance footage placed the children with their mother, stepfather Daniel Martell and their baby sister in the nearby community of New Glasgow. The family had visited a Dollarama store on May 1, according to subsequent reporting.

That footage became an important part of the timeline because it established a confirmed sighting of the siblings less than 24 hours before they were reported missing. Investigators have continued to examine the family’s movements and other available evidence as they attempt to establish what happened between that final confirmed sighting and the moment the children were discovered to be missing.

The RCMP has repeatedly emphasized the scale of the investigation. In June 2025, police said investigators had collected hundreds of hours of video from the surrounding area and formally interviewed dozens of people. Authorities also said they had received hundreds of tips and obtained legal authorizations to seize and examine material and electronic devices that could potentially ᴀssist the investigation.

Despite the enormous amount of information collected, investigators have struggled to establish a clear explanation for the children’s disappearance.

The case has also generated intense public speculation, particularly on social media. Police have warned that speculation and unverified claims can complicate an already difficult investigation. More recently, an RCMP representative said investigators are focused on facts and evidence rather than rumours circulating online.

The investigation has also included scrutiny of the relationship between Brooks-Murray and Martell. Court documents and later reporting revealed allegations concerning their relationship, while Martell has denied allegations of physical abuse. Police have said the circumstances of their relationship around the time of the disappearance form part of the broader investigation. None of those allegations, however, establishes what happened to Lilly and Jack.

Martell was later charged in 2026 in connection with allegations involving an adult. Police have explicitly said those charges are unrelated to the disappearance of Lilly and Jack, and they should not be interpreted as evidence that he was responsible for the children’s disappearance.

More recently, the children’s mother has spoken about the emotional toll of living with uncertainty. Brooks-Murray has said she continues to believe her children can come home and has expressed frustration over the lack of a breakthrough. She has kept their belongings and pH๏τographs close and has continued efforts to keep their names in the public eye.

A substantial reward has also been offered for information that could help investigators locate the siblings or advance the investigation. The hope is that someone who knows something about the children’s disappearance will eventually come forward with information that investigators can verify.

For the family, every unanswered question remains significant. Where the children went after they were last seen, whether someone else encountered them, and what happened during the critical period after they disappeared are among the central questions investigators continue to examine.

More than a year later, Lilly and Jack have still not been found. Their disappearance remains an unresolved case in Nova Scotia, while police continue to appeal for credible information that could finally explain what happened to the two young siblings and, most importantly, lead investigators to their whereabouts.

Sources: National Post