Newly unsealed court documents released in January 2026 have introduced a new and highly contentious dimension to the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of Lily and Jack Sullivan. The documents reveal that during police interviews conducted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in May 2025, the children’s mother, Malehya Brooks-Murray, accused her partner, Daniel Martell, of physical aggression in the months before the children vanished. According to the documents, Malehya told investigators that Daniel would “try to block her, hold her down, and once he pushed her,” and that when she attempted to call her mother during arguments, he would take her phone — behavior she said “would sometimes be physical and hurt.” These claims were not made in her earlier interviews but instead surfaced during her fifth statement to police, nearly a week after she ended her relationship with Daniel and relocated with their toddler daughter. The timing and the sudden introduction of the allegations have sparked debate among both investigators and the public, as they appear months after the incidents allegedly occurred and only after the couple had separated.

Daniel Martell has flatly rejected all accusations, calling them a “personal attack” designed to portray him as guilty in the public’s eyes. He maintains that he never physically abused Malehya at any point in their relationship, insisting that any conflicts they had were simply ordinary disagreements common to many couples. Martell’s position is that the accusations are false, emotionally charged, and unfairly weaponized against him now that the case has escalated into national attention.

RCMP officials confirmed that no criminal charges have been filed against Daniel in relation to the allegations, and described the claims as unverified and untested in any court of law. They emphasized that, while the statements were documented, the accusations remain allegations, and the investigation did not reach the threshold required to pursue an assault case. Complicating matters further, authorities also confirmed that both parents passed polygraph examinations administered specifically in relation to the disappearance of their children. Although polygraph results are not legally conclusive, the fact that Malehya and Daniel both passed has added another layer of uncertainty to an already complex and emotionally charged investigation.

The case of Lily and Jack Sullivan remains one of the most unsettling unsolved missing-children cases in recent Canadian memory, and the release of these documents has done little to clarify what happened in the months leading up to their disappearance. Instead, the newly exposed allegations have heightened public interest and deepened divisions regarding whom to believe. Supporters of Malehya argue that delayed disclosures are common in situations involving intimate partner violence, particularly when victims fear retaliation or emotional manipulation. Others insist that the timing of the allegations raises legitimate questions about their credibility, especially since they appeared only after the breakup and relocation.

Despite the controversy, authorities stress that the allegations — true or not — do not bring investigators closer to locating Lily and Jack. The children’s whereabouts remain unknown, no new leads have been publicly reported, and investigators continue to treat the case as wide open, with no single theory dominating the search. The abuse allegations, while significant in the narrative of the parents’ relationship, have not been identified as direct evidence connected to the children’s disappearance.

As the investigation continues, the public is left with two conflicting personal accounts, no charges filed, two parents who passed polygraphs, and two missing children whose fate remains a mystery. The unsealed documents have reopened emotional wounds, intensified scrutiny on both adults, and reignited debates about truth, timing, and motive — but they have not answered the most urgent question: Where are Lily and Jack Sullivan?