Police in Nova Scotia are scaling back the search for a brother and sister in a rural area of Pictou County, saying there’s little chance they are still alive.
The RCMP provided an update on the search for six-year-old Lily Sullivan and four-year-old Jack Sullivan Wednesday afternoon.
“It has been an all-hands-on-deck effort, using every available resource and tool,” said Staff Sgt. Curtis MacKinnon, district commander for Pictou County District RCMP.
“We’re transitioning from a full-scale search to searches in smaller, more specific areas; we’ll be retracing our steps to ensure all clues have been found.”
Lily and Jack were reported missing around 10 a.m. on May 2. Police believe they wandered away from their home on Gairloch Road in Lansdowne Station, N.S., a rural area of Pictou County located roughly 30 kilometres southwest of New Glasgow, N.S.
“Lily and Jack have made headlines from coast-to-coast. While the search has been ongoing, RCMP officers continued with the missing person investigation, speaking with family and community members to gather tips and other information that could help locate the children. We have not received any confirmed reports of sightings,” said MacKinnon.
The extensive six-day search has involved numerous agencies, including ground search and rescue teams, Civil Air Search and Rescue Association, the Nova Scotia Guard, the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, and several RCMP units, among others.
The RCMP major crimes unit has also been involved since early in the investigation.
“We were able to bring in some specialized knowledge and skill sets, and we help with the information management and decision making,” said Sgt. Robert McCamon with the major crimes unit.
“We’re going to continue pursuing any leads and information that comes in, and stuff that we do have.”
McCamon says all missing person files are treated as suspicious until the investigation leads them to determine otherwise.
Crews have been concentrating their search in the Gairloch Road area. Police said they have covered four square kilometres of heavily wooded, rural terrain.
“I want to assure Nova Scotians that our missing persons investigation continues,” said MacKinnon.
“Our focus remains on finding Lily and Jack. Our best investigators are working every aspect of this file, and our work won’t stop until we know where Lily and Jack are and can bring them home.”
MacKinnon says a number of factors are taken into consideration when it comes to scaling back a search, including:
- the age of the person/people missing
- the weather
- how long they’ve been missing for
- what area has been covered/searched so far
When considering these factors, the RCMP says “the likelihood that they’re alive right now is very low.”
“If we thought they were alive right now, we’d still be out there,” MacKinnon said.
The RCMP said up to 160 trained searchers have been involved in the search every day and tens of thousands of search hours have been dedicated to scouring the area.
At one point, search crews did find a possible boot print that appeared to be from a young child, which led to an extensive, grid-like search around that area. MacKinnon says nothing came out of that search, and no other signs of the children have been located.
When asked if police believe the children have met with foul play, McCamon said he cannot comment on specifics of the investigation.
“We’re going to continue on and when we get to a point that we’ve got information that we are able to make any decisions and are able to be public, we will let you know at that time.”
Police issued two vulnerable missing persons alerts – one in Pictou County on May 2 and another in Antigonish, Colchester and Pictou counties on May 3.
The RCMP describes Lily as having shoulder-length light brown hair with bangs. The force said she might be wearing a pink sweater, pink pants, and pink boots.
Jack has short blondish hair and was wearing blue dinosaur boots. Police have said no other clothing description is available.
Pictou County District RCMP is asking anyone with information about the case to contact them at 902-485-4333 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
‘I’ve been 100 per cent co-operating’
The children’s stepfather, 33-year-old Daniel Martell, says he’s devastated with the decision to scale back the search, but adds he’s not giving up hope.
“They can’t go forever, everyone’s exhausted … a hundred days isn’t enough, a whole lifetime isn’t enough for them. I just want to find them,” he told CTV News on Wednesday.
Martell said he gave a four-hour interview with two officers with the major crimes unit this week, providing details surrounding the children’s disappearance.
“They asked me everything. I gave them all of the information. I gave them my (smart)phone. I asked for lie detector tests ... I asked for drug tests. I’ve done everything,” he said.
“I’ve been 100 per cent co-operating.”
Martell says he also drew them maps of the areas around the house where he thought the children might have gone.
“I wasn’t treated as a suspect or anything like that.”
The children’s stepfather has shared he’s worried the siblings were abducted, but police have said there is no information to suggest that.
Speaking with CTV Atlantic on Tuesday, Martell said the only concrete clue found during the search so far is a boot print on the edge of their property.
He added he spends every evening conducting his own search.
“Hardly any evidence at all since the first day. It’s mind-boggling that nothing else was found,” he said.
Martell has been in a relationship with the children’s mother, Malehya Brooks-Murray, for three years.
He estimates it took them up to 20 minutes to notice the two children were gone Friday morning.
According to Martell, Brooks-Murray is now staying with family outside of the county. He says she hasn’t spoken to him since leaving.
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