Nearly 16 months after two young children vanished from their home in rural Nova Scotia, the investigation remains active with no definitive answers about what happened to them. Lilly Sullivan, who was 6 years old, and her brother Jack, who was 4, were reported missing on the morning of May 2, 2025, from a property on Gairloch Road in Lansdowne Station, Pictou County.

Their mother, Malehya Brooks-Murray, called police around 10:01 a.m. that day and said she believed the children had wandered away from the house. The report set off one of the largest multi-agency search operations in the province’s history. Ground search-and-rescue teams, air support, water searches, and specialized resources covered dense forest, streams, old rail lines, and surrounding undeveloped land. Despite thousands of hours of searching, no confirmed trace of the children was found that resolved the case.

In late April 2026, around the one-year anniversary, RCMP Staff-Sgt. Rob McCamon publicly updated the status of the investigation. He stressed that the file continues to receive significant resources and that investigators need specific, verifiable information rather than rumour or online speculation. Units from across Canada, along with the National Centre for Missing Persons and the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, remain involved.

The work completed so far has been extensive. Investigators have conducted 106 formal interviews, administered polygraph tests to several people, reviewed 8,132 video files from cameras in the area, and searched roughly 40 kilometres of terrain with human-remains detection dogs. They have processed more than 1,100 tips and completed over 1,500 investigative tasks. Court orders have allowed examination of phones, banking records, and other materials belonging to those closest to the children. Forensic analysis has also been carried out at the RCMP’s national laboratory in Ottawa.

Police have consistently stated that the case is being handled under the Missing Persons Act and that they currently have no evidence confirming an abduction. Family members are not considered suspects. All possible scenarios remain under review. The Government of Nova Scotia has offered a reward of up to $150,000 for information judged to be of investigative value.

In mid-August 2026, approximately 15 months after the children disappeared, Brooks-Murray broke her long public silence. She stated that she had nothing to do with the disappearance, that her earlier decision to stay quiet had followed police advice, and that she continues to hold out hope of finding her children. She has said she believes they may have been taken and has questioned why an Amber Alert was not issued on the day they went missing. Authorities have maintained that the circumstances at the time did not meet the criteria for such an alert.

The case has drawn sustained attention across Canada. Volunteer search groups have continued limited efforts in the area at various points, and the community of Lansdowne Station remains deeply affected by the unresolved questions. Police continue to urge anyone with fact-based details to come forward through the Northeast Nova RCMP Major Crime Unit or Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers.

Substantial resources are still dedicated to the investigation. Investigators say every credible lead is being pursued, and the effort will continue until the circumstances of Lilly and Jack’s disappearance are determined with certainty.

Sources: https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/jack-and-lilly-disappearance