More than 15 months after siblings Lilly and Jack Sullivan vanished from their rural Nova Scotia home, their mother is speaking publicly about the mystery that has consumed her family — and says she still believes her children could come home.
Lilly, then 6, and Jack, then 4, were reported missing from their home in Lansdowne Station, Nova Scotia, on May 2, 2025. Despite an enormous search operation, hundreds of investigative steps and more than a year of unanswered questions, authorities have yet to determine what happened to them.
Now their mother, Malehya Brooks-Murray, has broken her silence in interviews with CBC News and The Globe and Mail, describing the last morning she saw the children and why she refuses to give up hope.
The Last Morning She Saw Lilly and Jack
Brooks-Murray said the morning began without any obvious indication that something was wrong.
She recalled Lilly briefly coming into the bedroom where Brooks-Murray was sleeping with her then-partner, Daniel Martell, and their younger daughter.
Lilly then returned to the other room.
Brooks-Murray said she could hear Lilly and Jack playing together before she drifted back to sleep.
When she later woke, everything had become unusually quiet.
She and Martell searched around the property before Brooks-Murray called 911 at 10:01 a.m.
Within hours, what began as a search around a rural property had grown into a massive operation. Approximately 1,700 search-and-rescue personnel logged more than 12,000 cumulative hours, covering about 8.5 square kilometres of difficult terrain during the initial search effort.
But Lilly and Jack were nowhere to be found.
Their Mother Says She Still Believes They Are Alive
Fifteen months later, Brooks-Murray says she has not abandoned the possibility that her children are still alive.
She has continued saving gifts and cards for the birthdays and special occasions Lilly and Jack have missed, holding onto them in anticipation of a future homecoming.
She also keeps some of their favorite belongings close to her.
The hope remains despite the lack of confirmed sightings and despite extensive searches of the area surrounding the children’s home.
For Brooks-Murray, not knowing what happened has left her caught between grief and hope.
She says she dreams about her children returning home.
Why Did She Remain Silent for So Long?
Brooks-Murray’s limited public presence following the disappearance generated considerable online speculation.
In her recent interview, however, she said there was a reason she stayed away from the spotlight: she says police instructed her not to speak publicly.
She explained that she followed investigators’ instructions because she did not want to do anything that could jeopardize the search for her children.
She also described experiencing intense trauma during the months following their disappearance.
Now, more than a year later, she says her patience is wearing thin and she wants answers about what happened to Lilly and Jack.
Police Have Examined Numerous Possibilities
The investigation has gone far beyond searches of the woods.
Court documents released during the case revealed that investigators obtained authorization to examine records including phones, banking information and video.
Multiple family members also underwent polygraph examinations.
Documents released in 2025 said Brooks-Murray and Martell’s examinations indicated they had answered specific questions truthfully. Lilly and Jack’s biological father, Cody Sullivan, was also reported to have provided answers investigators considered truthful during his examination.
Polygraph results are not admissible as evidence in Canadian courts, but police can use the examinations as investigative tools.
The RCMP confirmed in March 2026 that another round of polygraph examinations had taken place in February, although authorities declined to identify who was tested or reveal the questions asked.
The Pink Blanket Became One of the Case’s Biggest Clues
Among the relatively few physical items connected to the children was part of a pink blanket belonging to Lilly.
Court documents indicated that family members found a piece of the blanket in a tree along Lansdowne Station Road on May 2, approximately one kilometre from the family’s home.
Investigators later confirmed another piece had been found in the trash.
The blanket underwent forensic testing, but its discovery has not publicly provided the breakthrough needed to explain where the children went.
Searchers also investigated footprints and other potential evidence while helicopters, drones, police divers and specialized dogs were deployed during various searches.
More Than 1,000 Tips — Yet No Answer
By the first anniversary of the disappearance, the scale of the investigation was extraordinary.
Authorities had interviewed 106 people, reviewed 8,132 video files, completed or worked through more than 1,500 investigative tasks, and received nearly 1,200 tips.
Search teams had also covered roughly 40 kilometres of terrain during subsequent operations.
Still, no publicly confirmed piece of evidence has answered the most important question:
Where are Lilly and Jack?
RCMP said around the one-year anniversary that there was still no evidence establishing an abduction or criminal offence. Investigators have nevertheless continued working the case and examining information they receive.
A $150,000 Reward Remains Available
The case remains active, and a CAD $150,000 reward has been offered for information that leads to solving the children’s disappearance.
Investigators have repeatedly emphasized that they need specific and verifiable information rather than rumors and online speculation.
For Brooks-Murray, however, the investigation is more than files, searches and statistics.
Two of her children are still missing.
And until investigators establish what happened to them, she is holding onto the possibility that Lilly and Jack are somewhere waiting to be found.
After 15 months without answers, one question continues to hang over the case:
How could two young children seemingly disappear without leaving behind a clear trail — and what will finally provide the clue that brings them home?
Sources
The Globe and Mail — Jack and Lilly’s mother believes her missing children are still alive