LANSDOWNE STATION, NOVA SCOTIA — More than a year after siblings Lilly and Jack Sullivan disappeared from their rural Nova Scotia home, the case remains unsolved, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police continue to investigate what happened to the children.

Lilly was 6 and Jack was 4 when they were reported missing on May 2, 2025, from their home on Gairloch Road in Lansdowne Station, Pictou County. Their mother reported that the children had apparently wandered away from the property.

Despite an extensive search involving ground teams, aircraft, drones, police specialists, divers and canine units, neither child has been located. The RCMP has continued to describe the investigation as active and has said it is pursuing multiple possibilities.

The Search Began Within Hours
The initial response was enormous.

After the children were reported missing shortly after 10 a.m. on May 2, 2025, a multi-agency search was launched around the family’s rural property.

Ground-search-and-rescue teams from across Nova Scotia participated, alongside RCMP police-dog teams, drone operators, aircraft resources and other emergency personnel.

Authorities ultimately scaled back the large multi-agency search on May 7 and shifted toward more targeted investigative searches.

Underwater recovery teams searched surrounding bodies of water on May 8 and 9, but investigators said they did not uncover evidence during that operation.

Investigators Found Very Little Physical Evidence
The lack of evidence has been one of the most difficult aspects of the case.

Search teams examined extensive areas around the property and surrounding woodland, but no confirmed trace of Lilly or Jack was recovered.

Investigators have also followed individual leads, reviewed surveillance and other video, conducted interviews and carried out searches based on information supplied by the public.

The RCMP has stressed that tips must be specific and fact-based rather than based on speculation circulating online.

Police Later Took Over the Investigation as a Major-Crime File
The case did not remain simply a large-scale search for children who may have wandered into the woods.

On May 3, 2025, the Northeast Nova RCMP Major Crime Unit assumed the lead under Canada’s Missing Persons Act.

That investigative structure remains in place.

By February 2026, the RCMP said investigators had received 1,111 tips and were working on more than 1,400 investigative tasks connected with the case.

The numbers illustrate the scale of the investigation, but authorities have not announced a confirmed explanation for what happened to the children.

Investigators Asked the Public for More Video
One of the early investigative priorities was reconstructing the children’s movements before they disappeared.

In May 2025, police asked residents and drivers to provide dashcam or other video recorded along Gairloch Road between April 28 and May 2.

Authorities said they had confirmed that Lilly and Jack had been seen in public with family members on the afternoon of May 1 and wanted additional video that could help establish a timeline.

At that stage, police had already received more than 355 tips and interviewed more than 50 people.

Later Court Documents Raised Questions About the Household
The disappearance has also been examined through court documents released during the investigation.

Documents supporting search warrants described allegations made by the children’s mother, Malehya Brooks-Murray, concerning her relationship with her common-law partner, Daniel Martell.

According to Global News, Brooks-Murray told police that Martell had been physically abusive toward her at times. The allegations have not been tested in court. Martell has faced separate criminal allegations involving an adult victim and has denied wrongdoing through the legal process.

Those matters are separate from the disappearance case, and police have not publicly announced that either parent or any other family member has been charged in connection with Lilly and Jack’s disappearance.

Martell Has Faced Separate Criminal Charges
Daniel Martell, the children’s stepfather, was arrested in January 2026 in connection with allegations unrelated to the missing-children investigation.

His separate case involves allegations including assault, sexual assault and forcible confinement involving an adult victim. Global News reported in March that the case was adjourned while new evidence was reviewed.

Those charges should not be treated as evidence that Martell was responsible for Lilly and Jack’s disappearance.

The RCMP has not publicly announced such a conclusion.

Police Have Continued to Reject Unverified Theories
As the case attracted widespread attention online, numerous theories and reported sightings began circulating.

Some alleged vehicle sightings were investigated and later discounted.

The RCMP has repeatedly asked the public to distinguish verified information from speculation and has encouraged anyone with genuine knowledge to contact investigators directly.

That approach has become particularly important because the investigation has generated a large volume of tips.

Investigators need information that can be independently verified, rather than social-media theories that cannot be substantiated.

A Major Search Later Included Cadaver Dogs
One later search effort involved RCMP cadaver dogs covering a large area around the Lansdowne Station property.

The dogs searched roughly 40 kilometres of trails, pipelines and other areas connected with the investigation.

According to reporting on the search, the dogs did not alert to human remains. That result did not prove that the children were not in the wider search area, but investigators did not report finding remains during the operation.

Authorities have continued to conduct targeted searches as new information becomes available.

One Year Later, the Children Were Still Missing
By April 30, 2026, the RCMP marked one year since the children disappeared.

The force said the investigation remained active and comprehensive.

At that point, police reported that 106 people had been interviewed, 1,191 tips had been received, and more than 40 kilometres had been searched.

The RCMP again appealed for specific, verifiable information that could help establish what happened to Lilly and Jack.

The province also continues to offer a reward of up to $150,000 Canadian for information about the children’s disappearance.

The Case Remains Unsolved
Nearly everything about the disappearance remains unresolved.

There is no confirmed public account of where Lilly and Jack went after they were last seen near their home.

There has been no public announcement identifying a person responsible for their disappearance.

And despite extensive searches, the children have not been located.

The RCMP has said it continues to pursue all avenues and has not publicly ruled the case into a single definitive scenario.

Why the Case Continues to Draw Attention
The circumstances have made the case particularly difficult.

Two very young siblings disappeared from a rural property, yet large-scale searches produced little physical evidence.

The investigation has involved numerous agencies and thousands of investigative tasks, while the public has generated more than a thousand tips.

At the same time, information revealed through separate court proceedings has generated additional public questions about the family environment before the disappearance.

But unanswered questions are not the same as established facts.

Investigators have not publicly said that the parents caused the disappearance, nor have they announced that the children were abducted.

Latest Status — September 16, 2026
As of September 16, 2026, Lilly Sullivan and Jack Sullivan remain missing.

Lilly, now 7, and Jack, now 5, disappeared from their home in Lansdowne Station, Nova Scotia, on May 2, 2025. The Nova Scotia RCMP continues to treat the case as an active investigation.

The most recent official RCMP update available publicly states that investigators were still assessing leads and working more than 1,400 investigative tasks, while the province’s reward of up to C$150,000 remains available for information.

There has been no confirmed recovery of either child and no publicly announced arrest or charge in connection with their disappearance.

The RCMP continues to ask anyone with concrete information about Lilly or Jack’s whereabouts to contact the Northeast Nova RCMP Major Crime Unit.

For their family, more than a year has passed without the answers they desperately need.

Where are Lilly and Jack Sullivan — and what happened to them after they disappeared from their home?

That remains unanswered.

Sources
MissingPeople.ca: Case page and continuing updates on Lilly and Jack Sullivan.