Day 5: No evidence turned up in search for missing Pictou County children

It has been an agonizing five days for the family of Lilly, 6, and Jack Sullivan, 4, who were last seen Friday morning after reportedly wandering from their home in Lansdowne Station.

The rural community, located east of Truro, and the rest of the province have been gripped by the story of two children who have gone missing in the extremely remote community along Gairloch Road. The search for the pair has continued day and night with over 100 RCMP and Nova Scotia Guard personnel and volunteers, K9, drones and helicopters looking for the young kids.

Lilly is described as having shoulder-length, light brown hair with bangs. She might be wearing a pink sweater, pink pants and pink boots and carrying a backpack with strawberries on it; Jack has short, blond hair and is wearing blue dinosaur boots.

Daniel Martell, the children’s stepfather, told CityNews that Lilly and Jack possibly have autism, something they were supposed to be tested for later this month.

“The first two days I ran through the woods screaming and yelling ‘Lilly and Jack’ until my throat hurt,” he said. “But this search is so far out. I don’t know where I could start.”

Martell said the search area has expanded to four kilometres wide. He has lived in the community for over two decades and says the terrain has a lot of streams, rivers and elevation changes.

“With the amount of money that they spend and all the capabilities they have with helicopters, to drones and people on the ground…They still have nothing,” Martell said.

According to him, the lead commander on the case tried to show him a water bottle, a blanket and two sweaters on May 5, but they were not Lilly and Jack’s, Martell said.

The children’s stepfather said that he wants the public to keep an eye out for any discarded items in the area, including a pull-up diaper that Jack is likely to have taken off by now. Lilly could have dropped the backpack she was carrying as well, and Jack’s boots might slip off.

Meanwhile, the children’s maternal grandmother said she, too, is holding on to hope the children will be found safe.

“We’re just hoping and praying for the best — that’s it — for our babies to come home,” Cyndy Murray said in a brief phone interview with The Canadian Press, adding that police have advised the family against speaking with the public. Murray’s daughter is the children’s mother, Malehya Brooks-Murray.

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The lost pair aren’t the outdoorsy types, wanting to come back home as soon as their boots or clothes got wet or dirty, so this is highly unusual, Martell said. Typically, they play in the fenced-in backyard of the family’s home.

There are boot prints about 10 feet from the home and then “nothing.”

Martell believes the children could have been abducted, but police say there is no evidence to suggest they were taken.

When asked by The Canadian Press why he thinks the pair may have been abducted, Martell said, “I have no idea why (anyone) would want to take them, but they’re easy to take. If they would have wandered to the road, they would get in any car as long as you offered them food or water, or even candy or anything like that — or even to see mom and dad, they would immediately get in.”

Martell is focused on assisting where he can while praying for the children’s safe return.

“I just want to bring them home safe. I just want to see them again,” he said.

The ongoing search

One of the tools the RCMP is using are drones that can search the area overnight with the infrared technology spotting the differences in temperatures.

“Of course, differences in temperature can point people to specific areas for those thorough searches on the ground,” Cpl. Carlie McCann, public information officer with the RCMP, told CityNews in an interview.

There has been an outpouring of support from people around Nova Scotia and those in the immediate area, which McCann says is “very appreciated.”

However, the volunteers on the ground have been trained by Ground Search and Rescue (GSAR) Teams, and have a good understanding of what to look for and how to remain safe.

“It’s a very rural area, very densely wooded area,” she noted. “It’s being very, very well coordinated by GSAR teams who are able relieve each other so that the thorough searches are done and are done with the consideration of safety and security of the searchers.”

One of the criticisms by the public is the speculation as to why no Amber Alert was sent out about the children.

McCann says that officials are working off of a missing persons case, not an abduction, which is what would prompt an Amber Alert.

“We do understand that there are a lot of rumors, so before you share anything, maybe consider the source,” she said.