Seven months after six-year-old Lilly and four-year-old Jack Sullivan vanished from their rural Lansdowne Station home, the case has taken a wrenching turn with two grandmothers locked in a public war of words that lays bare deep family rifts and unanswered questions. Belinda Gray, the children’s paternal grandmother, delivered a tearful bombshell in a recent interview, insisting with quiet conviction: “If they can’t find answers outside, then look inside the house.” Her statement – not born of anger, but a profound certainty forged from grief – points a finger squarely at the household dynamics, reigniting scrutiny on the children’s mother, Malehya Brooks-Murray, and her partner, Daniel Martell. Standing in stark opposition is Janie McKenzie, Martell’s mother and the step-grandmother, who fiercely defends her son as a “devoted, caring stepfather who would never harm the family he helped raise.” As RCMP investigators chase fading leads in one of Canada’s most perplexing child disappearances, these dueling narratives have thrust the spotlight back on the cluttered Garlic Road property, where silence, suspicion, and sorrow collide.

The siblings’ disappearance on May 2, 2025, began as a seemingly innocent wander from home – Brooks-Murray reporting they slipped out a “silent back door” while she tended their 17-month-old sister. But Gray’s words, echoed in viral clips and family statements, challenge that account, suggesting the truth lies closer than the surrounding woods scoured by hundreds of searchers. “It’s not out there in the forest,” Gray told a local outlet, her voice steady despite visible pain. “Whatever happened to my grandbabies was inside those walls. We’ve been saying it from day one.” Her conviction stems from fractured family ties: Gray’s son, Cody Sullivan (the biological father), has been estranged from Brooks-Murray for years, with limited contact after a custody battle. Gray, a Middle Musquodoboit resident who searched tirelessly in the early days, has called for a public inquiry into the RCMP’s handling, alleging overlooked red flags like the home’s unsafe conditions – debris-strewn yard, no secure play area, and reports of the children’s “undiagnosed autism” making unsupervised wandering unlikely.

McKenzie, living in a camper on the same property, pushes back with equal fervor. In interviews and social media posts, she portrays Martell – a 32-year-old handyman with a minor criminal record – as a loving figure who “treated Lilly and Jack like his own.” “Daniel is heartbroken,” McKenzie said in a July CBC appearance, touring the property to show its “normal family chaos.” “He’d never hurt those kids. He was the one yelling their names that morning, searching until he dropped.” She dismisses Gray’s implications as “grief talking,” emphasizing polygraphs cleared both Martell and Brooks-Murray of deception. McKenzie, who heard the children playing outside around 9 a.m. before falling back asleep, insists the back door’s silence allowed the escape, and blames online trolls for fueling division. “We’re all suffering – why attack us when the real answer might be out there?”

Between these two women lies a chasm of mistrust that mirrors the case’s stalled progress. Brooks-Murray, 29 and a member of Sipekne’katik First Nation, has retreated from public view after initial interviews, blocking Martell on social media and relocating with family. Martell, on stress leave from his mill job, has cooperated with police but faced relentless online accusations. The couple’s relationship fractured immediately after – Brooks-Murray leaving the property the next day – adding to the intrigue. Court documents unsealed in August reveal polygraphs deemed truthful for both, yet inconsistencies persist: Changing bedtimes, blanket fragments (one in a tree, one in trash – confirmed Lilly’s but no child scent), and unverified witness reports of a gold sedan or nighttime vehicles. Cadaver dogs in September found no remains on the property, but Gray remains unconvinced: “They searched outside too much. Inside tells the story.”

The mystery’s roots trace to a fractured home. Lilly and Jack lived with Brooks-Murray, Martell, their baby sister Meadow, and McKenzie in a trailer amid clutter – broken toys, four-wheelers, no fences. School concerns prompted a social worker visit months prior over home life and injuries like Jack’s black eyes (explained as sibling play). Cody Sullivan, cut off after custody disputes, passed his polygraph and was cleared early. Rumors of postpartum issues for Brooks-Murray and tension with Martell – including overheard warnings like “Don’t upset her or she’ll take it out on the baby” – fuel darker theories: Accident covered up? Pact of silence? Or stranger abduction despite no evidence?

RCMP’s latest update in October: “All scenarios explored,” with a $150,000 reward for “investigative value” tips. Searches – 8.5 square kilometers, drones, divers – yielded nothing conclusive. Toll footage delays overwrote potential leads, and a June witness sighting of children with a woman remains unverified. Community response is fervent: Vigils with pink (Lilly’s favorite) and blue balloons, a GoFundMe at $180,000 for private searches, and true crime channels dissecting texts where Brooks-Murray’s replies abruptly stopped on May 3. “The silence changed everything,” one analyst noted.

As winter grips Pictou County, the grandmothers’ clash embodies the pain. Gray, calling for inquiry: “Truth is inside – for Lilly and Jack.” McKenzie: “Daniel’s a good man; stop tearing us apart.” Between them: A mystery hidden behind closed doors, with no crack yet. RCMP urges tips (1-800-222-TIPS), vowing commitment. In Lansdowne’s quiet, two narratives battle – and the truth waits.