PICTOU COUNTY, NOVA SCOTIA — More than a year after siblings Lilly and Jack Sullivan disappeared from their rural Nova Scotia home, investigators still have no confirmed explanation for where the children went.

Lilly was 6 and Jack was 4 when they vanished from their family property in Lansdowne Station, Pictou County, on May 2, 2025. Despite an enormous search and an investigation involving numerous police and partner agencies, the siblings have never been found. The RCMP continues to describe the case as active.

The Last Known Movements
Police records indicate that Lilly and Jack were last independently seen outside the family home on May 1, 2025, when surveillance video captured them at a store in nearby New Glasgow.

Later that evening, the children were put to bed.

The next morning, their mother notified the school that they would remain home.

Authorities say the children were believed to have wandered from the property sometime before their mother contacted emergency services at around 10:01 a.m. on May 2.

By the time RCMP officers reached the home, a major search was already beginning.

A Huge Search Found Almost Nothing
The response quickly expanded into one of the largest searches undertaken in the region.

Ground-search teams, aircraft, drones, police dogs, divers and other specialists were deployed across the surrounding woods and waterways.

Search crews covered difficult rural terrain around the family’s property, but investigators found very little that could explain where the children went.

A pink blanket believed to belong to Lilly was discovered roughly one kilometre from the home on the afternoon of May 2. A tracking dog, however, did not establish a usable trail from the item.

The intensive search was eventually scaled back, but the investigation did not end.

Investigators Have Kept Working Behind the Scenes
One year after the disappearance, RCMP Staff Sgt. Rob McCamon said investigators had continued pursuing leads and reviewing evidence.

Police had conducted 106 formal interviews, examined 8,132 functioning video files, assessed 1,191 tips and completed about 1,534 investigative tasks, according to the RCMP’s public update.

Specialized searches using human-remains detection dogs also covered approximately 40 kilometres around the Lansdowne area.

The figures demonstrate the scale of the investigation, but they have not produced a publicly confirmed location for either child.

Police Are Still Careful About the Cause of the Disappearance
One of the most important details in the case is that the RCMP has not publicly confirmed an abduction.

Police initially said the children were believed to have wandered away from their home.

Even after months of investigation, authorities have said that all possible scenarios remain under consideration.

That cautious position has continued into 2026.

Investigators have repeatedly asked the public to provide concrete, verifiable information rather than rumors or online theories.

The Family Circumstances Have Also Been Examined
Information released through court documents has brought additional scrutiny to the children’s family circumstances.

RCMP records show that the children’s mother, Malehya Brooks-Murray, told investigators about alleged physical and controlling behavior involving her former common-law partner, Daniel Martell.

Those allegations were later made public through court records.

Martell has denied wrongdoing in relation to those allegations.

The existence of those claims does not establish that either adult was responsible for the children’s disappearance, and police have not publicly announced a criminal charge against anyone connected to the children’s disappearance.

Martell Later Faced Separate Charges
Martell was later arrested on unrelated allegations involving an adult.

Those charges include allegations of sexual assault, assault and forcible confinement.

Authorities have said those allegations are separate from the disappearance of Lilly and Jack.

That distinction remains important because the criminal proceedings involving Martell do not establish what happened to the two missing children.

A Reward Remains on the Table
Nova Scotia has offered a reward of up to C$150,000 for information about the siblings’ disappearance.

Officials have continued encouraging anyone who genuinely knows something about the children or their movements to contact police.

The RCMP has emphasized that specific information that can be verified is far more valuable than speculation circulating on social media.

One Year Later, the Community Still Has Questions
On May 2, 2026, around 50 people gathered outside an RCMP detachment in Stellarton to demand answers on the first anniversary of the children’s disappearance.

The gathering reflected the continuing public concern surrounding the case.

At that point, investigators said there were still only limited clues about what happened.

A senior RCMP officer also said the chances of the children still being alive appeared slim, while stressing that police had not abandoned the investigation.

The Case Remains Unsolved
The timeline established by investigators provides several firm points.

Lilly and Jack were seen in New Glasgow on May 1.

They returned home and were put to bed.

They were reported missing the following morning.

Search crews combed the surrounding area.

A blanket believed to belong to Lilly was found in the woods.

Yet neither child was located.

That gap between the last confirmed sighting and their disappearance remains at the heart of the case.

Why the Investigation Is So Difficult
The rural environment around Lansdowne presents significant challenges.

Dense vegetation, woods, streams and uneven terrain make it difficult to search every possible location.

At the same time, the absence of clear physical evidence has left investigators with a complicated puzzle.

Video records, interviews, forensic examinations and digital evidence all have to be pieced together into a single reliable timeline.

Police say they are continuing to do exactly that.

The RCMP Says It Has Not Given Up
As the investigation passed the one-year mark, McCamon said substantial RCMP and partner-agency resources remained committed to the case.

He said those resources would remain in place until authorities could determine with certainty what happened to Lilly and Jack.

That statement remains significant because the case has generated considerable public speculation about whether investigators have reached a dead end.

Officially, they have not.

Two Children Still Waiting to Be Found
More than a year has now passed since Lilly and Jack disappeared.

Their ages have changed, but their whereabouts have not.

Lilly is now 7.

Jack is now 5.

Their family continues to live with the uncertainty of not knowing whether the children are alive, where they went or what happened after they were last known to be at home.

For investigators, the search continues through evidence and verifiable tips.

For the community, the question remains painfully simple:

Where are Lilly and Jack Sullivan?

Until that question is answered, one of Canada’s most haunting missing-children cases remains open.

Sources: National Post — Jack and Lilly Sullivan disappearance