RCMP conduct polygraph tests in missing Sullivan children case

In an update, the RCMP gave further details as to what they have been doing to find two children last seen in Pictou County.

Police say in a press release that over the last several weeks, they have involved 11 police units and several missing persons experts from across Canada in the disappearance of Jack and Lilly Sullivan.

The two children, who are four and six, were last seen in public on May 1 with members of their family and were reported missing by their stepfather and mother on May 2.

On June 11, police said they have collected hundreds of hours of footage from around Lansdowne Station and from Gairloch Road where the children’s home is located.

To date, the RCMP have formally interviewed 54 people, and police have given polygraph (lie detector tests) to some of the people they interviewed. In a brief media conference on June 11, police avoided answering how many people were given the polygraph tests.

“We have to protect the identity of those people for the integrity of the investigation, and for the same reasons, we can’t disclose how many people have or will be administered a polygraph test,” Cpl. Guillaume Tremblay told media.

He noted that the experts conducting the tests are examining each question and the answers people are giving, so it “could guide the investigation.” They have taken place at “various dates since May 2,” RCMP told CityNews Halifax.

The children’s stepfather, Daniel Martell, previously confirmed that he had taken one.

In addition, police said they have “extensively” searched the property where the children were last seen, including “every aspect of the home, grounds, outbuildings and nearby septic systems, wells, mineshafts and culverts.”

When asked by CityNews Halifax where this mineshaft is, RCMP said it is in the Lansdowne Station area.

RCMP say there have been 488 tips from the public they have followed up on.

When asked if police believe the two children are alive, Tremblay said his opinion on the case is “irrelevant.”

“You know, as an investigator myself, we work night and day on investigations like this. It stays with you for your entire career. It can certainly affect you,” he said.

---

You can subscribe to The Big Story podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google and Spotify.

---

The update also notes that RCMP have been granted “numerous” court authorizations to seize and examine materials and devices that could be useful to the investigation. Police confirmed to CityNews Halifax that seven authorizations were admitted.

However, officers do say that despite all this work, there have not been any more areas identified for search and rescue operations.

Grim milestone reached

Last week, June 2, marked one month since the siblings were reported missing from their rural home.

There have been multiple efforts to locate the two children, including hundreds of volunteers scouring the dense woods surrounding the home where the pair were last seen. Drones, helicopters, canine units and officers were deployed rapidly to the area when the call came in. However, none of these efforts have turned up evidence of where the children went.

Speculation online continues to swirl as Canadians from coast to coast are questioning where Lilly and Jack are.

The latest search efforts surrounded the nearby pipeline trail where a boot print had previously been found. However, no further evidence indicates if the print was from the children or led to any other leads, according to the RCMP.

From the beginning, police have been adamant that there is no evidence to suggest the children were abducted. At the same time police have been saying as of late they are investigating all scenarios.

“When we say all scenarios, it means everything you can imagine out there…Our goal is to explore every investigative avenue. We don’t want to miss anything, and we want to follow up on every tip that we get,” Tremblay said.

He said every missing persons case is considered suspicious until proven otherwise.