One year after 6-year-old Lilly Sullivan and her 4-year-old brother Jack vanished from their home in Lansdowne, Nova Scotia, their family and searchers still have almost no answers. The case remains one of the most puzzling missing children investigations in recent Canadian history.

Lilly and Jack were reported missing on May 2, 2025. Their mother, Malehya Brooks-Murray, and stepfather Daniel Martell said they heard the children inside their mobile home that morning. When the house went quiet and the siblings could not be found, Brooks-Murray ran outside and called 911.

Hundreds of police officers and search-and-rescue volunteers searched the thick woods surrounding the sparsely populated community about 140 kilometres northeast of Halifax. Despite extensive efforts, the children have never been located.

Ongoing Investigation
RCMP Major Crime continues to lead the investigation and maintains it has not turned criminal. Investigators have reviewed more than 8,100 videos, conducted 106 interviews, and examined phone and banking records of those closest to the children. Search dogs trained to detect human remains have covered more than 40 kilometres, and police have received 1,191 public tips.

Staff Sgt. Rob McCamon, the officer in charge of major crime for the Nova Scotia RCMP, said the volume of information is one reason the investigation is taking so long, but progress is being made. He has reiterated there is no evidence the children were abducted and described the chance they are still alive as “very slim.”

A Rare and Unexplained Case
Experts note that two young siblings disappearing at the same time with no clear explanation is “profoundly rare.” In Canada, the majority of missing children cases are resolved within days. According to RCMP data, 62 percent of cases involving missing children or youth are closed within 24 hours, and 92 percent within a week.

Criminologist Michelle Jeanis has described the Sullivan case as difficult to categorize. Sibling disappearances are often family-related, while pairs of children taken by strangers are typically the same gender. Neither pattern fully fits here.

Continued Searches and Family Hope
Volunteer search groups, including the Ontario-based organization Please Bring Me Home, continue to comb the woods around Lansdowne. During a recent search, a child-sized boot print was discovered in the mud. The find was reported to RCMP, who said it is under review for potential relevance. Early in the investigation, a cluster of boot prints and a piece of Lilly’s blanket found hanging in a tree were among the limited physical evidence recovered.

The children’s grandmother, Cyndy Murray, said the family remains devastated by the lack of answers after a full year. “We’re still trying to stay positive and hope for the best, but it’s very tiring. It’s a lot mentally.”

In a statement, Brooks-Murray said she has never stopped believing her children will come home and expressed appreciation for everyone still searching.

Despite the passage of time, searchers and family members continue to hold onto hope, determined to leave no stone unturned in the effort to find Lilly and Jack.

Main Sources: CBC News and statements from RCMP and the children’s family.