More than eight months after six-year-old Lilly Sullivan and her four-year-old brother Jack vanished from their rural home in Lansdowne Station, Nova Scotia, newly released court documents are casting fresh light on the early days of the investigation—and raising more questions than answers.

The siblings were reported missing on May 2, 2025, when their mother, Malehya Brooks-Murray, called 911 around 10 a.m. to say the children had wandered away while she and her common-law partner, Daniel Martell, were asleep with their toddler. The remote community in Pictou County, surrounded by dense woods, immediately launched one of the largest search operations in recent memory: hundreds of volunteers, drones, helicopters, search dogs, and ground teams scoured over 8.5 square kilometers. Despite exhaustive efforts, no trace of the children was ever found beyond a pink blanket confirmed to belong to Lilly, discovered torn in pieces near the home and roadside.

Recent unsealed affidavits, originally filed to support multiple search warrants between May and July 2025, reveal strained dynamics in the household. In police interviews, Brooks-Murray alleged that Martell had been physically abusive toward her at times during their three-year relationship. These claims, which remain unproven and were never tested in court, emerged as investigators examined the couple’s movements, phone records, bank data, and GPS information in the lead-up to the disappearance. The documents also detail other leads explored early on, including tips pointing toward the children’s biological father, Cody Sullivan—who denied any involvement and passed scrutiny when interviewed.

Both Brooks-Murray and Martell have consistently and publicly denied any role in the children’s disappearance. Polygraph examinations conducted on key individuals, including the parents, reportedly indicated truthfulness on critical questions. RCMP officials have described the case as “extremely rare,” noting over 1,000 public tips, thousands of hours of video reviewed, dozens of interviews, and seven polygraphs completed—all without definitive breakthroughs. The investigation remains under the province’s Missing Persons Act rather than as a criminal probe, though authorities continue pursuing every credible angle with support from national partners.

The mystery has gripped Canada and drawn international attention, fueled by the eerie circumstances: two young children seemingly vanishing without a trace from a quiet home. A $150,000 reward offered by the Nova Scotia government still stands for information of investigative value. Family members, including the children’s paternal grandmother, have expressed fading hope while pleading for the public to avoid unfounded accusations against relatives.

As 2026 begins, the RCMP’s major crimes unit insists the case will be resolved, but the absence of concrete evidence leaves the fate of Lilly and Jack shrouded in uncertainty. What began as a report of wandering toddlers has evolved into one of the most perplexing unsolved disappearances in recent Canadian history—leaving a community, and a nation, desperate for closure.