‘We’re just hoping and praying for the best,’ says Cyndy Murray

Jack Sullivan, 4, left, and Lily Sullivan, 6, were reported missing on Friday, May 2, 2025. (Nova Scotia Ground Search and Rescue Association/Facebook)

As the search for two young children missing from their home in rural northeastern Nova Scotia entered its fifth day on Tuesday, their maternal grandmother said she is holding on to hope they 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, adding that police have advised the family against speaking with the public.

Murray is the grandmother of six-year-old Lilly Sullivan and four-year-old Jack Sullivan, who were last seen Friday morning. Her daughter is the children’s mother, Malehya Brooks-Murray.

Police have said that for four days, ground teams have meticulously searched several kilometres in a heavily wooded area around Gairloch Road in the community of Lansdowne Station, where the children’s family home is located.

The two children went missing from this home on Gairloch Road in Lansdowne Station, about 20 kilometres southwest of New Glasgow, on May 2, 2025. (Josh Hoffman/CBC)

Their stepfather, Daniel Martell, said Monday he worries they were abducted, but police say there is no evidence the children were taken and that investigators are acting under the belief both kids wandered from their home.

Martell said that after the disappearance, the children’s mother left to be with her family in another part of the province and has blocked him on social media.

RCMP describe Lilly Sullivan as having shoulder-length, light brown hair with bangs, and say she might be wearing a pink sweater, pink pants and pink boots; Jack Sullivan has short, blond hair and is wearing blue dinosaur boots.

Up to 140 people at a time have been searching for the children, with the help of police dogs and drones.

Crews spend 5th day searching for missing children

The search for two missing Nova Scotia children, Lilly and Jack Sullivan, has stretched into its fifth day. The two young children are believed to have wandered away from their home in Pictou County five days ago. The CBC’s Preston Mulligan has the latest.

The search for siblings Olivia and Mason Turner, aged 4 and 6, has entered its third week without resolution, casting a heavy shadow over the rural community of Clearwater, Nova Scotia. As police continue to comb through leads and organize search efforts across neighboring counties, their family remains at the emotional epicenter of the crisis. This week, their grandmother, Helen Turner, broke her silence, giving an emotional interview that laid bare the heartbreak, hope, and unrelenting questions surrounding the children’s disappearance.

Helen, a retired schoolteacher known in the community for her warmth and involvement in local charities, spoke publicly for the first time from the front porch of her farmhouse. The home, where she often babysat the children, is only a few kilometers from where Olivia and Mason were last seen. Fighting back tears, she described the last time she saw them—a sunny Sunday afternoon filled with laughter, crafts, and backyard play.

“They had just finished making little paper crowns,” Helen said, her voice trembling. “Olivia wanted hers to be pink, and Mason glued stars all over his. It was a normal day. We had snacks, they played with the dog, and then they went home. I never imagined that would be the last time I’d hear them laugh.”

The children vanished two days later while playing in the front yard of their home just outside Clearwater. Their mother, Jessica Turner, stepped inside for what she described as “a few short minutes” to answer a phone call. When she returned, the yard was empty. Despite immediate searches and a swift response from local law enforcement, no trace of Olivia or Mason has been found since.

Helen expressed anguish and guilt, as many family members do in such cases. “I keep thinking—what if I’d kept them longer that day? What if they’d stayed the night? Could I have changed something?” She paused, then added quietly, “You feel helpless, like time is slipping away and you can’t hold on to it.”

Her words echoed the broader feeling among family, friends, and neighbors. In the days following the disappearance, hundreds of volunteers helped search surrounding fields, woodlands, and streams. RCMP officers, along with search and rescue teams, expanded their radius daily. A pair of small footprints found near a deer trail gave investigators an initial lead, but it did not result in further clues.

Authorities have remained tight-lipped about the details of the investigation but confirmed that they are pursuing all possible scenarios, including abduction. Security footage from homes and businesses along the main road leading out of the community has been collected, and police are working with digital forensic teams to analyze all relevant data.

For Helen, the waiting is the hardest part. “You wake up each morning hoping there’s news. You jump when the phone rings. Every time the police car drives past, you pray they’re bringing good news. But the silence—it’s unbearable.”

She described Olivia as a bright, inquisitive girl who loved animals and always asked questions about how things worked. “She wanted to be a vet,” Helen smiled briefly. “And Mason—he’s got this big laugh, you know? It fills a room. He always followed his sister around, like her shadow.”

In the interview, Helen also addressed the strain on the children’s parents, Jessica and Ryan Turner. “They’re holding up as best they can. I can’t even begin to imagine their pain. They blame themselves, but how could they have known? You don’t expect something like this to happen in your own front yard.”

The family has received an outpouring of support from the community. Candlelight vigils are held weekly in the town square. Local churches have organized round-the-clock prayer chains. Flyers with the children’s photos and descriptions are posted on every lamppost, storefront, and community bulletin board.

Helen expressed deep gratitude for the support, saying it has helped the family stay strong. “You think you’re alone in something like this, but people have been showing up with food, lighting candles, even just holding our hands. That kindness—it’s what’s kept us going.”

Despite the passage of time, Helen remains hopeful. “I still believe they’re out there. I know it in my bones. A grandmother knows. Someone took them, and someone knows something. Please, if you know anything—even the smallest detail—say something. You could save their lives.”

She directed a personal message to whoever may be responsible. “If you have them, bring them home. No questions. No punishment. Just bring them back. These children deserve to be safe. They deserve to be in their own beds, with their family.”

RCMP officials confirmed that tips continue to come in and that they are working with the Missing Children’s Society of Canada and international partners to widen the search. A BOLO (Be On the Look Out) alert remains in place, and neighboring provinces have been notified. Officials urge the public to report any suspicious behavior or abandoned property that may have recently appeared.

Investigators are also reviewing the backgrounds of local residents and cross-referencing known offenders in the region. While no persons of interest have been publicly named, sources indicate that multiple interviews and polygraph tests have been conducted as part of the ongoing inquiry.

A trust fund has been set up to support the family and assist in the cost of search efforts, including printed materials, travel expenses for volunteers, and digital advertising of the children’s profiles. The fund has raised more than $40,000 in two weeks, highlighting the deep sympathy and urgency felt by the wider public.

Helen says she spends every night sitting by the window, watching the road, hoping for headlights to appear. “It’s a strange kind of hope, one that hurts. But I hold on to it. Because I have to. Because they need me to.”

The faces of Olivia and Mason, captured in smiling school portraits, have become symbols of both loss and unity in the town. Their grandmother’s words have added a deeply human layer to a story that, at its core, is about the unbearable absence of two young lives and the enduring strength of those who love them.

As the interview drew to a close, Helen stood and looked out at the fields beyond her home. “We’re not giving up. Not ever,” she said. “We’re still here. We’re still looking. And we’ll be waiting for them with open arms.”