Sullivan children still missing after Mounties search nearby lakes, interview family members

The RCMP say they are continuing to search for two missing children in Pictou County after an underwater recovery mission didn’t uncover any evidence.

Lilly, 6, and Jack Sullivan, 4, were last seen May 2 at their home in the community of Lansdowne Station.

Police said they were believed to have wandered away from their home on Gairloch Road, resulting in a multi-agency search, which to date, has covered 5.5 square kilometres of heavily wooded terrain, before being scaled back on May 7.

“We’re exploring all avenues in this missing persons investigation,” says Staff Sergeant Curtis MacKinnon, Pictou County District RCMP. “We have officers from multiple disciplines dedicated to finding Lilly and Jack, including highly trained RCMP major crime and forensic investigators.”

Last week, the RCMP’s Underwater Recovery Team scoured bodies of water around Lansdowne Station as part of a two-day operation and didn’t uncover any evidence.

Police said they are following up on more than 180 tips and are doing formal interviews with 35 community members and those closest to the children.

In a follow-up statement to The Canadian Press, the RCMP confirmed that family members were among those being interviewed for the investigation, adding that questioning relatives was standard practice for a missing children case.

The children’s stepfather, Daniel Martell told The Canadian Press on May 7 that he voluntarily attended a four-hour interview with major crime investigators the day prior, and submitted his smartphone to police for examination.

“I’ve been 100 per cent co-operating. I gave them my phone, I offered the drug tests, I offered them lie detector tests. I offered them everything,” he said.

Anyone with information on Lilly and Jack’s whereabouts is asked to contact RCMP or Crime Stoppers.

Mystery gripping people across the province

The days after the children were still not found, many people within the community and on social media started digging into the case, trying to understand how two small kids seemingly disappeared without a trace.

In an update last week, police said they find it unlikely the pair are still alive if they were out in the forest.

“Probability of survival is taken into consideration,” Curtis MacKinnon, RCMP Staff Sgt., said of the decision. The age of the missing people, weather, terrain and how long they have been gone are factors officials consider when deciding to scale back a search.

Even though officials have said the searches have been “meticulous,” part of the scaled-back approach is to revisit some parts.

Martell has been on the ground searching and providing insights to police when needed, he has said. It has been reported that the children’s mother, Brooks-Murray left the home the day after the search began, ending communication with Martell, and has been staying with her mother in Wentworth, N.S.

Martell said he is more than happy with the thoroughness of the investigation, saying people have put their lives on hold to search for the children.

He is “grateful” that police are going back and looking through the densest parts of the forest again.

With files from The Canadian Press’ Michael Tutton.