Ground search crews depart N.S. community where children went missing

Aly Thomson · CBC News

· Posted: May 08, 2025 12:58 PM EDT | Last Updated: 27 minutes ago

A time aft Nova Scotia RCMP announced it was scaling backmost the hunt for 2 missing children, the force's bid centre successful a rural Pictou County assemblage has been packed up and crushed hunt crews person near the area.

Lily Sullivan, 6, and Jack Sullivan, 4, have been missing since May 2, erstwhile constabulary received a 911 telephone reporting that they had wandered distant from their location connected Gairloch Road successful Lansdowne Station, astir 25 kilometres southwest of New Glasgow.

Police announced Wednesday that aft six days of scouring the heavy wooded areas surrounding the home, there was nary motion of the children and it's not apt they are alive.

Staff Sgt. Curtis MacKinnon told a quality conference the progressive hunt was being "scaled back," but the missing persons probe would continue. 

"So alternatively than having the ample beingness here, the monolithic fig of searchers connected country each day, searches volition beryllium based connected accusation that comes in," said MacKinnon.

"We're not packing up and we're not giving up. Our probe is wide and it won't extremity until we cognize wherever Lily and Jack are and tin bring them home."

On Thursday afternoon, each that remained astatine the RCMP's bid centre were a tattered portion of yellowish caution tape, a fewer portable washrooms and tyre tracks.

In a connection Thursday, Cpl. Carlie McCann said the unit did not person immoderate much accusation to stock astir the case. 

While RCMP have said immoderate areas that were already searched would beryllium revisited arsenic portion of the scaled-back efforts, they would not accidental Thursday however galore searchers oregon investigators remain involved successful the case. A chopper could beryllium seen flying implicit the country during the day.

WATCH | Stepfather of missing children says he's co-operating with police:

MacKinnon said investigators person not ruled out that the lawsuit is suspicious, and noted that RCMP's large crime unit has been progressive successful the probe since May 3. 

He said each missing persons files "are treated arsenic suspicious until our probe leads america to find otherwise."

Daniel Martell, the stepfather of the children, has said helium believes Lily and Jack slipped retired their sliding backmost doorway portion helium and the children's parent were successful their chamber with their one-year-old daughter.

In the days aft the disappearance, Martell has remained astatine the home, receiving regular updates from hunt and rescue officials and speaking to the reporters who descended upon the county of astir 43,000 people.

He has repeatedly said helium believes the children were abducted, but RCMP person said determination is no grounds of that.

On Thursday, Martell said helium was told that a unit would beryllium searching a adjacent lake.

Martell said helium spoke with investigators from the large transgression unit at the Stellarton RCMP detachment earlier this week, breaking down precisely what happened connected the greeting of the disappearance, "minute by minute."

He said statements person besides been taken from members of his family, who person been astatine the location implicit the past week to enactment him.

"I'm physically exhausted, mentally and emotionally astatine this point," said Martell in an interrogation extracurricular his home.

Martell said helium willingly handed his telephone implicit to police. He said investigators person besides searched the location and "everything I own."

"They searched each rock, each root. Everything," said Martell. "I've been giving them each detail, everything from my slope relationship statements to all the accusation that came disconnected my Google maps."

Martell said helium has besides asked constabulary to springiness him a polygraph test, which volition hap successful the adjacent fewer days.

"I conscionable privation to wide it up for everyone, not conscionable the radical online making brainsick accusations and everything else," he said. "I asked for that aboriginal on, and there's not galore places that bash that successful Canada, truthful they're flying idiosyncratic in."

Polygraphs are sometimes utilized successful constabulary investigations, but the results are not admissible successful Canadian courts due to the fact that they are unreliable. RCMP declined to accidental whether a polygraph would beryllium administered.

"To guarantee the integrity of the investigation, nary further details volition beryllium released astatine this time," spokesperson Allison Gerrard wrote successful an email.

The children's mother, Malehya Brooks-Murray, near the country with their one-year-old to beryllium with her household successful different portion of the province.

The children's grandmother, Cyndy Murray, spoke to The Canadian Press earlier this week successful a brief phone interview, adding that constabulary person advised the household against speaking with the public.

"We're conscionable hoping and praying for the champion — that's it — for our babies to travel home."

Meanwhile, a makeshift memorial was taking signifier astatine the nearby Stellarton RCMP detachment. A ample white teddy carnivore and bouquet of flowers could beryllium seen resting connected a station extracurricular of the gathering Thursday afternoon.