On a quiet morning in May 2025, the peaceful rural community of Lansdowne in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, was shaken by a mystery that remains unsolved. Six-year-old Lilly Sullivan and her four-year-old brother, Jack, disappeared without a trace from their family’s mobile home, leaving investigators, volunteers, and loved ones searching for answers that have yet to come.

According to their mother, Malehya Brooks-Murray, and stepfather, Daniel Martell, the children were inside the home that morning and could be heard playing. Moments later, the house became unusually quiet. After searching the property and finding no sign of Lilly or Jack, Brooks-Murray called 911, launching one of the largest missing-child investigations in recent Canadian history.

Search efforts quickly expanded across the remote landscape, located about 140 kilometres northeast of Halifax. Hundreds of police officers, search-and-rescue volunteers, and specialized teams searched dense forests, nearby waterways, and surrounding terrain. Investigators deployed drones, aircraft, and specially trained search dogs, while also reviewing more than 8,000 videos, conducting over 100 interviews, examining phone and banking records, and following more than 1,100 public tips. Despite these extensive efforts, no definitive evidence has revealed what happened to the two children.

The Nova Scotia RCMP Major Crime Unit has repeatedly stated that the investigation has not been classified as a criminal case and that there is currently no evidence the siblings were abducted. Staff Sgt. Rob McCamon, who leads the investigation, has said the case continues to move forward as new information is analyzed. However, one year after the children vanished, he acknowledged that the likelihood of Lilly and Jack still being alive was considered “very slim.”

Only a few possible clues have emerged. Early in the investigation, searchers located several child-sized boot prints, and a piece of Lilly’s blanket was later found caught in a tree. In April 2026, volunteers from the Ontario-based organization Please Bring Me Home discovered another child-sized boot print in the mud near a local path known as the “Pipeline Trail.” The RCMP confirmed the finding was being examined to determine whether it could be connected to the investigation.

Family members and volunteers have continued returning to the search area, refusing to let hope fade. Lilly and Jack’s grandmother, Cyndy Murray, has spoken openly about the emotional toll of the case, saying the family remains devastated by the lack of answers and that the children are never far from her thoughts.

Experts describe the disappearance as extraordinarily rare. In Canada, most missing-child cases are resolved within 24 hours, and more than 90 percent are solved within the first week. Two young siblings disappearing together without clear evidence of abduction or a known explanation is highly unusual. Criminologist Michelle Jeanis has compared the mystery to the long-unsolved 2001 disappearance of Diamond and Tionda Bradley in Chicago, noting that the circumstances do not match the typical patterns seen in either family abductions or stranger kidnappings.

Despite the pᴀssing months, the children’s family has never given up hope. Brooks-Murray has said she continues to believe Lilly and Jack will one day be found and has expressed graтιтude to investigators, volunteers, and members of the public who continue to support the search. A provincial reward of up to $150,000 remains available for information that could advance the investigation. Meanwhile, Daniel Martell is facing separate criminal charges involving an unrelated adult victim, which police have confirmed are not connected to the disappearance of the children.

As of late July 2026—more than 14 months after they vanished—Lilly and Jack Sullivan remain missing. Their pH๏τographs continue to be shared across Canada, their names are spoken at community search events, and their loved ones remain determined to find answers. In a country where most missing children are located quickly, their disappearance remains one of Canada’s most heartbreaking unsolved mysteries.