Canada LILY & JACK SULLIVAN: Missing from Pictou County, Nova Scotia - 2 May 2025 - Ages 6 & 4 (1 Viewer)

Lily Sullivan, 6, and Jack Sullivan, 4, were reported missing around 10 a.m. Friday. They were last seen on Gairloch Road in Lansdowne Station.

Police believe the siblings wandered away from their home and say there is no information to suggest they were abducted.
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Martell says he and Malehya Brooks-Murray asked Lily and Jack to quiet down on Friday morning to let the baby sleep.

He estimates it took up to 20 minutes to notice the two children were gone.

“A few minutes went by, I heard nothing. Got up, went out in the kitchen, checked everything, I seen they weren’t there. Checked their bedrooms and they weren’t there. So I looked out the backyard, that’s the only other place they would go, and their boots were gone. The door, the sliding door, was closed. Usually they don’t close the door, I usually have to remind them, remind them to close the door over and over,” he says.

Martell says he then jumped in his vehicle and started looking for them.

‘The house is just silent’: Stepdad speaks out as exhaustive search for missing N.S. children enters fifth day

The stepfather of two missing children in a rural area of Nova Scotia’s Pictou County is speaking out as the exhaustive search for the children enters its fifth day.

www.ctvnews.ca

media link: LILY & JACK SULLIVAN wandered off from their Pictou County, NOVA SCOTIA home on May 2, 2025 and are still MISSING!

 

[ima.grandma]

In those court documents, there are details of an interview conducted by police with Brooks-Murray. She discusses her relationship with Martell, saying she moved in with him on his mother’s property in Lansdowne around August 2023.

Brooks-Murray was asked if Martell was ever physically abusive.

“Malehya said he would try to block her, hold her down and once he pushed her,” the documents said.

“She said he would also take her phone from her when she tried to call her mom, which would sometimes be physical and hurt.”

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/lilly-jack-sullivan-missing-rcmp-investigation-court-documents-9.7045363

 

[ima.grandma]

Key details from the documents include:
• Relationship Timeline: Brooks-Murray and Martell were together for about three years before the children disappeared on May 2nd, and they all lived in the Lansdown trailer where the children were last seen (0:21-0:32).
• Financial Issues: Martell told police they had been fighting about money, and his mother also mentioned their financial difficulties (0:34-0:38).
• Conflicting Accounts of Relationship:
• Brooks-Murray stated in an RCMP interview that Martell would try to block her, hold her down, push her, and take her phone when she tried to call her mom, sometimes causing physical pain (0:41-0:54).
• Martell, however, told police their relationship was good, with normal ups and downs, and that while they would yell during fights, there was no physical violence (0:56-

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

N.S. missing kids: Mother accused partner of abuse, court documents reveal | Globalnews.ca

Lilly and Jack Sullivan — aged six and four at the time — were reported missing on May 2, 2025, from their home in Lansdowne Station, N.S., in Pictou County.

globalnews.ca

N.S. missing kids: Mother accused partner of abuse, court documents reveal​

The mother of two young siblings who have been missing for eight months told Nova Scotia police her common-law partner had been physically abusive at times, according to newly-unsealed court documents.

The documents were filed to support applications for search warrants, and none of the allegations have been tested in court.


Among the unsealed documents is an interview with police where Brooks-Murray discussed her relationship with Martell.

“When asked if Daniel was physically abusive, Malehya said he would try to block her, hold her down and once he pushed her,” the document read.

“She said he would also take her phone from her when she tried to call her mom, which would sometimes be physical and hurt.”

In his interview with police, the documents stated Martell said the couple had been together for about three years and “it moved pretty quickly.” He said the two had recently been fighting about money.

“He said their relationship is good, they have ups and downs like any couple,” the document read.

“He said they would yell at each other when they were fighting, but there was no physical violence in their relationship.”

Reached Thursday by The Canadian Press, Martell denied the allegations of abuse, saying they are part of a narrative designed to make him look evil.

The unsealed documents also revealed that police spoke to the children’s biological father, who said he had not seen the siblings in “a couple years” but had been paying child support up until he lost his job nine months earlier.


He said police have received about 1,030 tips and conducted 86 formal interviews.

He added that more than 8,100 functioning videos have been reviewed by the team supervising the investigation, as well as seven polygraph examinations conducted.

“So there’s been a lot of work conducted behind the scenes,” Morrow said.

“I’ve never seen it across my career. But while it’s rare, the part that isn’t rare is the complexity of the case, like why it’s taking so long, because these investigations have to be done in a methodical approach.”

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

N.S. missing kids: Stepfather denies abuse allegations, says he puts ‘full trust’ in RCMP | Globalnews.ca

Daniel Martell denes he's ever been physically abusive to Lilly and Jack's mother, as alleged in recently-unsealed court documents.

globalnews.ca

N.S. missing kids: Stepfather denies abuse allegations, says he puts ‘full trust’ in RCMP​

The stepfather of two young Nova Scotia siblings who disappeared eight months ago denies he’s ever been physically abusive to the children’s mother, as alleged in recently-unsealed court documents.

“I’ve always been very open and honest this whole way through and I don’t see no reason to stop now,” said Daniel Martell in an interview with Global News on Friday.


Among the documents unsealed this week is an interview with police in May 2025 where Brooks-Murray discussed her relationship with Martell.

The documents were filed to support applications for search warrants, and none of the allegations have been tested in court.

“When asked if Daniel was physically abusive, Malehya said he would try to block her, hold her down and once he pushed her,” the document read.

“She said he would also take her phone from her when she tried to call her mom, which would sometimes be physical and hurt.”

In response, Martell said the allegations were part of a “narrative” that is meant to paint him as “evil and a monster.”

“It was always, ‘Daniel’s evil, Daniel’s a monster,’ and with that painted narrative, the public automatically will just jump to the belief of guilty,” he said.

Global News reached out to Brooks-Murray, who declined an interview.

Martell said he was supportive of unredacting the court documents and has nothing to hide.

“I never physically abused Malehya,” he said.

“(Our fights were about) just typical things, you know, ups and downs that happen in relationships. Everybody has them, but it never turned to physical in any way.”

He said he’s been candid and open with police and the media and willingly submitted blood samples for DNA analysis.

According to Martell, the blood testing was in regards to the piece of pink blanket that officers seized and have confirmed belonged to Lilly.

“And they didn’t need a warrant to have my DNA, so I was willing to do it,” he said.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Well I suspect him, I'll be honest.

And she says he prevented her from calling her mom. When this happened, she went with her mom and family and left him and never looked back and I don't think has spoken since.

Abusers and controllers want you to not have any outside network. Unfortunately I've been in a situation where I was calling 911 and every time I could get near a phone (being beaten in between and try to grab one, he broke such, knocked it out of hand or knocked me down...

So these parts sound pretty true to me. Of course, she could be lying but she never says he was overboard, outright physically abusive so I TEND to believe her...

Some body language type experts or LE lean towards his guilt.

Can I be sure? Of course not but I tend to do the same.

He was the one that morning telling her things... I remember too that that story changed, the early on remarks. One could put that down to news, they often get things wrong in the first flush of news/a case... But I don't think so... He sounded mad the two kids were waking up the baby or some such... At least that was his story...

I actually suspect them both but more so him for sure.

I hope Lily and Jack are one day found. I don't believe they are alive.

 

[Guess Who]

N.S. missing kids: Stepfather denies abuse allegations, says he puts ‘full trust’ in RCMP | Globalnews.ca

Daniel Martell denes he's ever been physically abusive to Lilly and Jack's mother, as alleged in recently-unsealed court documents.

globalnews.ca

N.S. missing kids: Stepfather denies abuse allegations, says he puts ‘full trust’ in RCMP​

The stepfather of two young Nova Scotia siblings who disappeared eight months ago denies he’s ever been physically abusive to the children’s mother, as alleged in recently-unsealed court documents.

“I’ve always been very open and honest this whole way through and I don’t see no reason to stop now,” said Daniel Martell in an interview with Global News on Friday.


Among the documents unsealed this week is an interview with police in May 2025 where Brooks-Murray discussed her relationship with Martell.

The documents were filed to support applications for search warrants, and none of the allegations have been tested in court.

“When asked if Daniel was physically abusive, Malehya said he would try to block her, hold her down and once he pushed her,” the document read.

“She said he would also take her phone from her when she tried to call her mom, which would sometimes be physical and hurt.”

In response, Martell said the allegations were part of a “narrative” that is meant to paint him as “evil and a monster.”

“It was always, ‘Daniel’s evil, Daniel’s a monster,’ and with that painted narrative, the public automatically will just jump to the belief of guilty,” he said.

Global News reached out to Brooks-Murray, who declined an interview.

Martell said he was supportive of unredacting the court documents and has nothing to hide.

“I never physically abused Malehya,” he said.

“(Our fights were about) just typical things, you know, ups and downs that happen in relationships. Everybody has them, but it never turned to physical in any way.”

He said he’s been candid and open with police and the media and willingly submitted blood samples for DNA analysis.

According to Martell, the blood testing was in regards to the piece of pink blanket that officers seized and have confirmed belonged to Lilly.

“And they didn’t need a warrant to have my DNA, so I was willing to do it,” he said.

While not physical abuse, keeping one from removing themselves and taking their phone is definitely abuse.

I'm still stuck on the fact that the mom's excuse for the kids going to bed in their dirty clothes was because they had returned from the laundromat with CLEAN clothes but they were all still in a bag. How much effort does it take to get CLEAN clothes out of the bag? There were other things where mom where it's obvious mom had just checked out of everything.

I'm still not sure if either parent did anything to the kids or not. I go back and forth on one, the other, or both or if the kids did actually just take off and whatever might have happened after that. I'm not liking either parent very much and do believe both of them put the kids into the situation where they disappeared with their total lack of action for just daily responsibilities.

 

[GrandmaBear]

I think there was likely drugs or drink quite honestly. They lived in imo a hellhole, had no money, took care of nothing. They didn't even have decent windows, doors, heat and so on.

It IS abuse if she is trying to call her mom for help and he won't let her or prohibits it.

I can't prove one or both are guilty but I sure feel he is for sure, not as certain about mom. But if she's not, she lied imo.

The earliest thing I remember from him is he pretty much was upset and told the kids to shut up, get lost or something on that order. I felt immediately he did not care for these two kids. That changed a bit after the very first reporting as to how that went.

This man worked what, a day a week or some such if I recall? The place was a mess, the outside just as messy and dangerous. One doesn't have to judge that they take care of nothing and have nothing to intuit they did not take care of the children well either.

Hard not to judge his mother either. They live on and if I recall own the property and THEY didn't make him take care of it or take care of it either.

None of it is proof but I don't believe they are alive or anyone took them. I also don't believe it was any accident and it is TWO kids.

If wrong, I will apologize outright on here but I'm fairly certain on him, with her, not quite as much... She lied though then as she backed up his story...

 

[GrandmaBear]

Seeing a headline that stepdad was arrested!!!! Not sure for what. Hvaen't been able to look. Watching the Banfield trial. I will try to find out more.

 

[GrandmaBear]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/daniel-martell-charged-assault-9.7066651

 

[GrandmaBear]

Not for the kids but pretty serious charges of raping an adult.

Rumor has it besides the kid's mom he also had another gf or some such. Can't confirm that.

Not sure who the charge relates to... As far as the female...

Let's hope this leads to more and truth about the children...

 

[GrandmaBear]

not exactly how he portrayed himself is it...

 

[Tresir]

Stepfather of missing Nova Scotia children charged with sexually assaulting an adult

HALIFAX — The stepfather of two Nova Scotia children reported missing more than eight months ago has been charged with sexual assault, assault and forcible confinement involving an adult victim, RCMP confirmed Thursday.

www.guelphtoday.com

Stepfather of missing Nova Scotia children charged with sexually assaulting an adult​

Canadian Press40 minutes ago10 minutes ago

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The RCMP logo is seen on the shoulder of a superintendent during a news conference, Saturday, June 24, 2023 in St. John's, N.L. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
HALIFAX — Nova Scotia RCMP say the stepfather of two children who were reported missing more than eight months ago has been charged with sexual assault, assault and forcible confinement involving an adult victim.
The Mounties confirmed that 34-year-old Daniel Martell of Lansdowne, N.S., was arrested on Monday morning by officers with the Pictou County detachment.
Police say he is expected to appear in Pictou provincial court on March 2.
No other details were released and Martell was not immediately available for comment.
On May 2, Martell's common-law partner, Malehya Brooks-Murray, called 911 to report that two of her children — five-year-old Jack Sullivan and his six-year-old sister Lilly Sullivan — had wandered away from their rural home north of Halifax.
Despite several extensive ground and air searches, including a search in October using cadaver dogs, few clues have been detected to indicate what happened to Lilly and Jack after they left their rural home in Lansdowne Station.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 29, 2026.
The Canadian Press

 

[GrandmaBear]

Stepfather of missing Nova Scotia children charged with sexually assaulting an adult

HALIFAX — The stepfather of two Nova Scotia children reported missing more than eight months ago has been charged with sexual assault, assault and forcible confinement involving an adult victim, RCMP confirmed Thursday.

www.guelphtoday.com

Stepfather of missing Nova Scotia children charged with sexually assaulting an adult​

Canadian Press40 minutes ago10 minutes ago

• Share via Text Message

The RCMP logo is seen on the shoulder of a superintendent during a news conference, Saturday, June 24, 2023 in St. John's, N.L. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
HALIFAX — Nova Scotia RCMP say the stepfather of two children who were reported missing more than eight months ago has been charged with sexual assault, assault and forcible confinement involving an adult victim.
The Mounties confirmed that 34-year-old Daniel Martell of Lansdowne, N.S., was arrested on Monday morning by officers with the Pictou County detachment.
Police say he is expected to appear in Pictou provincial court on March 2.
No other details were released and Martell was not immediately available for comment.
On May 2, Martell's common-law partner, Malehya Brooks-Murray, called 911 to report that two of her children — five-year-old Jack Sullivan and his six-year-old sister Lilly Sullivan — had wandered away from their rural home north of Halifax.
Despite several extensive ground and air searches, including a search in October using cadaver dogs, few clues have been detected to indicate what happened to Lilly and Jack after they left their rural home in Lansdowne Station.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 29, 2026.
The Canadian Press

March 2?? That's sure different than here. His first appearance would be in 48 hours.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Nova Scotia RCMP says it’s ‘working tirelessly’ on case of missing children

As Canada marks National Missing Persons Day on Tuesday, the Nova Scotia RCMP says it is still actively investigating the disappearance of two children in Pictou County.

www.ctvnews.ca

Nova Scotia RCMP says it’s ‘working tirelessly’ on case of missing children​

As Canada marks National Missing Persons Day on Tuesday, the Nova Scotia RCMP says it is still actively investigating the disappearance of two children in Pictou County.


“Our team remains fully committed to establishing the circumstances of what happened to Lilly and Jack,” said RCMP Staff Sgt. Rob McCamon, officer in charge of major crime and behavioural sciences, in a news release Tuesday.

“We’re pursuing every lead, applying every resource, and still working tirelessly to move this file forward.”

The RCMP says, to date, investigators have received 1,111 tips and are “actively engaged in more than 1,400 investigative tasks as part of their ongoing efforts.”

Missing kids file remains active: RCMP

Nine months after Lilly and Jack Sullivan vanished in Lansdowne Station, public interest in the siblings has never gone away.

www.pictouadvocate.com

Missing kids file remains active: RCMP​

Nine months after Lilly and Jack Sullivan vanished in Lansdowne Station, public interest in the siblings has never gone away.

Lilly, age six, and her brother Jack, who at the time was four years old, reportedly walked away from the home they shared with their mother Malehya Brooks-Murray and her then-boyfriend Daniel Martell on May 2, 2025.

Despite a massive search launched almost immediately after a 911 call was made, involving the RCMP and close to 200 search and rescue personnel, they haven’t been seen since. That intensive search lasted five days before being scaled back, and the use of heat-seeking drones, cadaver dogs and subsequent search attempts in the rugged terrain and thick woods turned up little evidence.

“The investigation into the disappearance of Lilly and Jack Sullivan remains active under the Missing Persons Act,” Allison Gerrard, senior communications advisor with the provincial RCMP, said in a statement to the Advocate on Jan. 29.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Stepdad apparently did an interview awhile back that's never been released until now. This covers about 1/2 of it I think he said and he'll be doing the other 1/2 on it.

If anyone wants to they could maybe find the source and the full interview. I'm always interested on his take though, he has covered this case extensively.

Short, just 8 minutes.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/lilly-jack-sullivan-disappearance-malehya-brooks-murray-9.7071768

Mother of missing N.S. children ‘taking it day by day,’ say loved ones​

Nine months after Lilly and Jack Sullivan vanished without a trace in rural Nova Scotia, the silence surrounding their mother has been broken under the glare of intense public scrutiny.

In an exclusive interview with CBC News, members of Malehya Brooks-Murray’s inner circle are sharing new details about her life at the time of the disappearance and how the family is coping as the tragedy continues to unfold.

“Frustration comes to mind, especially when you sit there and you kind of feel like your hands are tied and [there’s] not much that you can do,” Angeline Maloney-Arsenault, Brooks-Murray’s childhood best friend, said during a recent interview in Brookfield, N.S.

Brooks-Murray has not spoken publicly about the case apart from one media interview during the initial search and a written statement she released through a volunteer search group.

She has been heavily criticized in comments on social media for remaining silent as armchair sleuths have speculated online about what happened to her children.

But Cheryl Robinson, a close family friend, said if you knew Brooks-Murray personally, her silence would not be surprising.

“That's just who she is. She was always quiet. She never was a confrontational person. She's very shy,” said Robinson.

“I know that her behaviour to a lot of people may seem odd and may seem different and it may not be what a lot of people would do if their two kids were missing, but until you're in that situation, you really don't know how you would act.”


Cyndy Murray, Brooks-Murray’s mother, said the past nine months have been “absolute torture.”


Robinson said Brooks-Murray has been staying with her intermittently and she has not been doing well. As a result, Brooks-Murray tries to avoid the gossip circulating on the many YouTube shows and Facebook groups following the case.

“We just try to help her and guide her in the right direction and give her the hope that the kids will be found,” said a sombre Robinson.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Stepfather of N.S. missing kids has first court appearance

The stepfather of two young children who went missing from rural Nova Scotia nearly one year ago, had his firs...

www.cjls.com

Stepfather of N.S. missing kids has first court appearance​

The stepfather of two young children who went missing from rural Nova Scotia nearly one year ago, had his first court appearance Monday, for sexual assault charges involving an adult.

The province’s public prosecution service says Daniel Martell was arraigned on sexual assault, assault and unlawful confinement.

“The Crown elected to proceed by indictment; a publication ban was also ordered. [This] prohibits information from being published, broadcast, or transmitted in any way that could identify the victim,” says the prosecution service in an email.

Martell is scheduled to be back in court on March 30 for an election and/or plea.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/second-round-of-polygraphs-conducted-in-disappearance-of-n-s-children-9.7120881

2nd round of polygraphs conducted in disappearance of N.S. children​

Nova Scotia RCMP have conducted a second round of polygraph examinations in the disappearance of Jack and Lilly Sullivan, with two of those tests focused on one of the only pieces of physical evidence in the case: a light pink blanket found hanging in a tree.


RCMP declined a request for an interview, but confirmed in an email that more polygraph examinations have taken place as part of an extensive investigation being led by major crimes.

The Mounties also confirmed the blanket — one of two pieces of physical evidence in the case that the public is aware of — is still at the RCMP lab for forensic examination.

The second piece is a boot print consistent with Lilly’s foot size found on the pipeline trail near the family home.

In Canada, polygraph tests are used as an investigative tool and are not admissible in court.

Michelle Jeanis, an associate professor in the criminal justice department at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, said police conduct polygraphs to help shape interviews, narrow down suspect pools and to guide who they should be speaking with as part of an investigation.

Jeanis, whose areas of expertise include best practices for recovering missing persons, said she feels the fact that police are conducting a second round of polygraphs signals that RCMP have exhausted all immediate leads.

“The best thing to do when you have a long … term missing persons case would be to go back from the beginning and start over and with fresh eyes and look for anything that they might have missed before,” said Jeanis, who has been following the case closely.

“It is absolutely concerning that the investigation has gone on for this long and we still have no recovery. All missing persons cases are usually resolved very quickly. So this in and of itself is very abnormal and concerning.”