What we know about the search for missing N.S. children

CBC News

· Posted: May 06, 2025 2:25 PM EDT | Last Updated: 15 minutes ago

The hunt effort is ongoing for a sister and member who were reported missing from their location successful Nova Scotia's Pictou County connected May 2. 

RCMP accidental they were called that day to find Lily Sullivan, 6, and Jack Sullivan, 4. 

The children are believed to person wandered distant from their household location connected Gairloch Road successful Lansdowne Station, N.S., astir 20 kilometres southwest of New Glasgow.

When were they past seen?

According to the children's stepfather, Daniel Martell, Lily and Jack were past seen connected Friday morning. 

The children be Salt Springs Elementary, but Martell said they were not astatine schoolhouse connected Friday due to the fact that Lily had a cough, and they were besides location sick from schoolhouse connected Thursday.

Martell said that portion helium and their mother, Malehya Brooks-Murray, were successful the chamber with their one-year-old baby, Lily came successful and retired respective times, and Jack could beryllium heard successful the kitchen.

He thinks the children indispensable person opened the sliding backmost door, which helium said is astir silent, and went outside.

"When we noticed that the children were gone, I instantly jumped successful the vehicle, surveyed each the areas, [as] galore ungraded roads, [as] galore culverts arsenic I could and waited for the constabulary to get there," Martell told CBC News connected Monday.

How are authorities treating the investigation

When the children were reported missing connected Friday, the RCMP said there was nary grounds they had been abducted. 

Since then, there's been nary denotation from constabulary that this has changed. But Martell said Tuesday that helium present believes the children were taken. 

He said investigators with the RCMP's large crimes portion spoke with him a fewer days ago and with members of his household connected Monday.

"[The RCMP were] taking statements from the precise start. They conscionable privation to regularisation everything retired earlier they power … concerns from being, you know, hunt and rescue to abduction," helium said successful an interrogation Tuesday.

When asked connected Tuesday if the large crimes portion is involved, an RCMP spokesperson said a "variety of teams" are moving connected the investigation "in bid to supply tools, skills and resources arsenic necessary."

Why wasn't an Amber Alert issued?

In an interrogation with CTV News connected Saturday, the children's parent said she appreciated the immense hunt effort, but she wished an Amber Alert had besides been issued. 

"Not conscionable that they could perchance beryllium abducted — which it is simply a anticipation that they could person been — but conscionable an alert to fto everyone cognize that they are missing," she said.

Police person said determination was nary Amber Alert due to the fact that determination is nary grounds the children were abducted.

A susceptible persons alert was issued for Pictou County erstwhile the children were archetypal reported missing Friday, and an further alert was issued Saturday evening to Pictou, Antigonish and Colchester counties.

The hunt remains focused connected the agrarian country surrounding the household home, which is heavy wooded, making it hard for hunt and rescue teams to comb through.

What were the children wearing?

When past seen, Martell said, Jack was wearing a pull-up diaper and Lily was wearing a achromatic backpack with reddish strawberries connected it that should beryllium highly visible.

The RCMP say Lily has shoulder-length airy brownish hairsbreadth and bangs, and whitethorn beryllium wearing a pinkish sweater, pinkish pants and pinkish boots. Jack, meanwhile, has abbreviated "blondish" hairsbreadth and bluish dinosaur boots.

Where are authorities searching?

Since Friday, searchers person been scouring the country adjacent the household home.

The Nova Scotia Guard — a provincially organized unpaid radical — has besides been deployed. 

Overnight Monday, the RCMP said aggregate drones equipped with "forward-looking infrared technology" to spot differences successful somesthesia were utilized to hunt the area.

Meanwhile, astir 60 specially trained crushed hunt and rescue members were combing the country below. Police dogs person besides been assisting successful the search.

According to Amy Hansen, the hunt manager for time shifts with Colchester Ground Search and Rescue, 100 to 140 searchers person been utilized during the day, and 60 to 75 each night.

The searchers are utilizing pinkish ribbons to people areas that person already been covered disconnected by rescue teams. Thousands of these ribbons present dot histrion branches successful the area.

Police said the hunt is besides informed by statistical data, including insights into the behaviours of people in akin situations.

Police and hunt and rescue teams are asking the nationalist to enactment distant from the hunt country to let trained searchers to bash their work.

How is the assemblage coping?

Five days into the search, an RCMP spokesperson said that hunt and rescue crews are inactive committed to bringing Lily and Jack home. 

"It has been a fewer days, but that has not dampened the hopes of the [search] teams and the constabulary who are present trying to get these kids home," RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Carlie McCann told reporters connected Monday afternoon.

Robert Parker, the warden for the Municipality of Pictou County, said the temper successful the agrarian portion of astir 43,000 radical has been "tense" arsenic the hunt continues. 

"Nobody is giving up yet," Parker told CBC's Information Morning Nova Scotia connected Tuesday morning. "These children person astir go everybody's children successful this county."

He said that portion it's quality quality to leap to conclusions, the nationalist should beryllium cautious astir what they're posting connected societal media. 

"There's ever radical who privation to accidental thing that's hurtful," helium said. "We person to retrieve kindness."

MORE TOP STORIES