Nova Scotia Siblings Missing as Family Secrets and Systemic Failures Emerge


Two young children vanished without a trace from a rural Nova Scotia property nearly two months ago, and the mystery surrounding their disappearance has only deepened. Six-year-old Lily Sullivan and her four-year-old brother Jack were last seen on May 1st. On the morning of May 2nd, their absence was reported to police, triggering a massive search effort — and raising troubling questions.

A Search That Led Nowhere
RCMP officers responded swiftly to the May 2 call from Lands Down Station. Initial reports suggested the children had wandered off, a scenario officers hoped would quickly lead to their safe return. But hours turned into days, and the children remained missing. Despite search teams deploying helicopters, drones, K9 units, and over 160 volunteers combing the woods, only a small boot print and a scrap of a child’s blanket were ever found.

No Amber Alert was issued. RCMP maintained that there was no evidence of an abduction. Critics argue this hesitation may have cost investigators crucial time.

Family in Turmoil
Lily and Jack lived in a mobile home with their mother, Maleia Brooks Murray, and her partner, Daniel Martell. Publicly, they were described by relatives as a “picture-perfect family.” Behind closed doors, however, accounts vary. Neighbors described the home as “a filthy camp.” Daniel Martell’s online posts showed increasing frustration, while Maleia fled to Vancouver shortly after the children disappeared — behavior that drew further scrutiny.

One-year-old Meadow, Maleia’s youngest child, was removed from her custody by Child Protective Services (CPS) days after the disappearance. That intervention raised alarms about why similar action hadn’t been taken sooner.

A History of Warnings
Nova Scotia’s Minister of Community Services, Scott Armstrong, confirmed that CPS had opened a file on the family before the disappearance. Details remain sealed due to the active investigation, but growing outrage online questions whether warning signs were ignored. CPS’s decision to remove Meadow appears to confirm longstanding concerns.

Daniel Martell voluntarily took a polygraph test three weeks after the children vanished. He says the focus of the questioning was not on their whereabouts but on whether he had killed them. Martell passed the test, but the nature of the questions — “Did you kill Lily and Jack?” — reflect the RCMP’s early suspicions of foul play.

The Father’s Shadow
Cody Sullivan, the children’s biological father, has been largely absent from public discussion. Some relatives say he walked away years ago. However, unconfirmed reports suggest a criminal history dating back to 2021, with a court date set for October 10, 2025. RCMP confirmed Cody was investigated early on and later cleared. Still, some wonder if his history played a role in the unfolding tragedy — or in Maleia’s decision to flee.

A Grandmother’s Plea
Belinda Gray, the children’s paternal grandmother, has been one of the most vocal family members. She traveled to Lands Down Station shortly after the news broke and helped search the dense woods herself.

“I don’t believe they’re in the woods,” she said in a recent interview. “My heart tells me these babies are gone.”

Gray was shocked by the condition of the home, which she described as unrecognizable compared to the tidy environment Maleia once maintained. Her words reflect a deep sense of betrayal — not only by the people closest to the children but possibly by the very institutions meant to protect them.

Unanswered Questions
Eight weeks on, RCMP say all investigative avenues remain open. But their early approach — the lack of an Amber Alert, the late requests for surveillance footage, and the polygraph’s immediate assumption of death — continues to spark concern.

Was this a case of a broken family spiraling into tragedy? Did CPS fail to act in time? Or does the truth lie in a darker realm altogether — one involving rage, secrecy, and irreversible mistakes?

A $150,000 reward remains unclaimed. Until answers surface, the haunting disappearance of Lily and Jack Sullivan continues to cast a long shadow over a province — and a system — in search of justice.