Six-year-old Lilly Sullivan and four-year-old Jack Sullivan vanished from their rural Lansdowne Station home in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, on May 2, 2025—leaving behind a trail of unanswered questions and a chilling revelation from their step-siblings. Daniel Martell’s three biological children—Mia (15), Noah (12), and Emma (10)—told child protection workers they had repeatedly seen their father isolate, berate, and physically discipline Jack and Lilly in the months leading up to the disappearance.

The Sullivan children lived with their mother, Malehya Brooks-Murray, 29, and stepfather Daniel Martell, 32, in a secluded acre property on Gairloch Road. The last confirmed sighting of Lilly and Jack came from Dollarama security footage in New Glasgow at 2:25 p.m. on May 1—shopping with Brooks-Murray and their 1-year-old half-sister. By 10:01 a.m. the next morning, Brooks-Murray called 911, reporting the children missing from the backyard.

What investigators uncovered in the days that followed painted a picture of selective cruelty within the home—one that Daniel’s own children were forced to witness.

Mia, the eldest, told a social worker during a Juneroom interview: “Daddy said Jack and Lilly were ‘practice kids.’ He made us sit on the stairs and watch when he yelled. If we looked away, we got sent to our rooms without dinner.” She described Lilly, then 5, being locked in the basement laundry room overnight for wetting the bed. Jack, 3 at the time, was made to eat plain oatmeal in the garage while the family dined inside.

Noah, 11 when the children vanished, handed over a hidden notebook filled with crayon drawings: stick-figure Lilly with tears, Jack locked behind a scribbled door labeled “COLD.” Emma, 9, clutched a torn stuffed bunny and whispered, “Daddy said if we helped them, we’d sleep outside too.”

RCMP executed a search warrant on May 4. They found a padlock on the refrigerator—Daniel claimed it prevented “snacking”—and a bare mattress in the basement with Lilly’s name written in marker on the wall. A child-sized handprint in dried oatmeal was visible on the garage floor. DNA confirmed both belonged to the missing siblings.

Brooks-Murray, who worked night shifts at a long-term care facility, told police she “had no idea” about the extent of the treatment. Text messages recovered from her phone showed Daniel instructing her: “Garage kids eat at 5. Don’t unlock fridge.” She responded with thumbs-up emojis.

Daniel Martell, a former oil rig worker with no prior criminal record, was taken into custody on May 6 for questioning. He denied abuse, claiming the children “exaggerated” and that the basement was a “play area.” He was released pending further investigation but barred from contact with his biological children, who were placed temporarily with their paternal grandmother.

The disappearance itself remains baffling. The property backs onto dense Acadian forest with ravines, a swollen creek, and no cell service. Over 800 volunteers, K-9 units, drones, and divers searched 12 square kilometers in the first week. A child’s pink boot and unicorn plush—items Lilly owned—were found 400 meters into the woods but tested negative for DNA. Cadaver dogs alerted near the creek; nothing was recovered.

Daniel’s children were interviewed again on May 10. Mia revealed a final incident: two nights before the disappearance, Daniel dragged Jack by the arm across the kitchen for spilling juice, shouting, “You’ll learn or you’ll leave.” Lilly cried silently in the corner. Emma added, “The next morning, they weren’t in the garage. Daddy said they went to Grandma’s early.”

No such arrangement existed. Brooks-Murray confirmed she woke to find the children gone, assuming Daniel had taken them on an errand. He claimed he’d been asleep.

As of November 14, 2025, the case remains active. Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers offers a $150,000 reward for information leading to the children’s whereabouts. RCMP Cpl. Guillaume Tremblay stated: “We are treating this as a missing persons case with suspicious circumstances. The prior treatment of the children is a significant line of inquiry.”

Daniel Martell now lives in a Halifax motel under electronic monitoring. He speaks to media through his lawyer: “I loved those kids. I’d never hurt them enough to make them run.” His biological children refuse visits. Mia, now in grade 10, told a counselor: “We told the truth. Now we just want Lilly and Jack to come home.”

Brooks-Murray has relocated with the 1-year-old to an undisclosed location. She posts daily pleas on a verified Facebook page: “Pink is Lilly’s color. Dinosaurs are Jack’s. If you see them, call.”

Community response has been overwhelming. Vigils in Pictou draw hundreds weekly. A mural on the local arena wall shows two silhouettes—one in pink, one with dinosaur boots—under the words “COME HOME.” Schools teach “woods safety” drills. Tip lines log over 1,400 calls; none have panned out.

Child welfare experts note the case’s complexity. Dr. Cindy Blackstock, executive director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society, says: “Selective abuse in blended families is underreported. Children like Mia, Noah, and Emma often carry guilt for years—guilt for witnessing, guilt for speaking.”

For now, the forest holds its secrets. The garage stands empty. The basement mattress has been removed as evidence. And five children—three who spoke, two who vanished—are bound by a silence that only truth can break.

Anyone with information is urged to call Nova Scotia RCMP at 1-902-490-5020 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.