Nine months after six-year-old Lilly Sullivan and four-year-old Jack Sullivan disappeared from their rural home in Lansdowne Station, Pictou County, Nova Scotia, the case remains one of Canada’s most perplexing unsolved mysteries. On the morning of May 2, 2025, their mother, Malehya Brooks-Murray, called 911 in a panic, reporting that the siblings had wandered away from the family trailer on Gairloch Road. What followed was one of the largest search operations in the province’s history, yet no definitive trace of the children has surfaced.

Lilly, described as a bright girl who loved pink Barbie tops, rainbow-print rubber boots, and carrying her strawberry backpack, was last reportedly seen inside the home that morning. Jack, energetic and rarely without his blue dinosaur boots or toy trucks, was heard in the kitchen according to family accounts. The couple—Brooks-Murray and her common-law partner Daniel Martell—told police they were in the bedroom with their infant daughter when the older children seemingly slipped away unnoticed between roughly 8:00 a.m. and 9:40 a.m. By 10:00 a.m., the call to emergency services launched a massive response.

Search teams, including volunteers in orange vests, fanned out across thick woods, swamps, and old mine shafts surrounding the property. Helicopters with thermal imaging, drones, divers sweeping nearby lakes and rivers, and cadaver dogs combed the area for days and weeks. A child’s boot print near a pipeline trail and a pink blanket found during early searches offered brief hope, but forensic tests yielded no breakthroughs. The RCMP reviewed over 1,000 tips, examined thousands of video files from surrounding areas, conducted dozens of interviews, and administered polygraph tests. Units from multiple provinces assisted, yet the investigation continues under the province’s Missing Persons Act rather than as a declared criminal matter.

Court documents unsealed in stages throughout 2025 revealed glimpses into the household dynamics. Brooks-Murray and Martell described financial arguments in the weeks leading up to the disappearance. Martell mentioned staying up late on May 1 after the family returned from a shopping trip to New Glasgow, where surveillance captured the children at a Dollarama store the previous afternoon. Timeline inconsistencies emerged in initial statements: bedtime reports shifted from 9:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., and details about the morning activities varied slightly between the adults.

Witness statements added layers of intrigue. Some neighbors reported hearing a vehicle moving back and forth on nearby roads in the pre-dawn or early morning hours before the 911 call. Others noted the couple’s behavior during searches seemed inconsistent with frantic parents. Despite these elements, police have repeatedly stated there is no evidence of abduction and have not ruled the case suspicious in a criminal sense—though they emphasize it remains active and far from “cold.”

In January 2026, a development shifted public attention. On January 26, RCMP arrested 34-year-old Daniel Martell on charges of sexual assault, assault, and forcible confinement involving an adult victim. Authorities stressed the allegations are unrelated to the children’s disappearance and that victim privacy is protected. Martell was released on conditions and scheduled to appear in Pictou provincial court on March 2, 2026. The arrest fueled online speculation, with some wondering if it signals deeper scrutiny of the household, while others cautioned against conflating separate matters.

The province maintains a reward of up to $150,000 for information leading to resolution, underscoring official determination. Groups like Please Bring Me Home have joined efforts, sharing accurate descriptions and urging tips to the Northeast Nova RCMP Major Crime Unit or Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers. Lilly would now be approaching seven, Jack five—milestones their grandmother Cyndy Murray recently described in emotional interviews, painting pictures of lively grandchildren full of joy before the unthinkable happened.

Brooks-Murray has remained largely out of the spotlight, with loved ones saying she copes “day by day” amid intense public and media pressure. Friends defend her as a devoted mother devastated by loss. Yet questions linger: Why no footprints leading far from the yard? How could two young children vanish so completely in a sparsely populated area without cries or sightings? Old mine shafts and remote Crown land nearby have been searched repeatedly, but vast wilderness makes total coverage impossible.

Forensic avenues explored include analysis of items like the pink blanket and boot print, electronic device seizures, and banking or phone record reviews via judicial authorizations. No major public breakthroughs from soil, vehicle, or biological evidence have been announced, contrasting with earlier unverified online claims of dramatic forensic hits. RCMP spokespeople, including Staff Sgt. Rob McCamon, express confidence in the multi-faceted investigation, promising it will not fade into obscurity.

The Sullivan case evokes deep community grief and national concern. In a province where rural disappearances are rare, the absence of closure torments family, friends, and strangers alike. Lilly’s love of coloring and drawing family portraits, Jack’s dinosaur roars and toy-truck adventures—these innocent details now fuel vigils, social media campaigns under #JusticeForLillyAndJack, and persistent calls for answers.

As winter gives way to another spring in Pictou County, the trailer on Gairloch Road stands quiet. Searches may have scaled back, but hope endures that one tip, one overlooked detail, or one breakthrough will finally reveal what happened to two small children who simply vanished. Until then, Nova Scotia—and a watching world—waits.