Anomalies experts have “noted” and an updated timeline of the Jack and Lilly Sullivan case.
Hey y’all. I was looking for updates in the Jack and Lily Sullivan case, and I did find two news articles I wanted to bring to you. One of them is going to talk about anomalies that experts have started to point out in the case, and the second one is going to give us an updated timeline.

So, let’s go ahead and start with the anomalies that experts have started to point out in the case.

When you look for information on this case—as well as others—it’s best to go with an accredited news source. This case in particular, because it’s out of Canada and they don’t share a lot of information outside of the country, is harder to find updates on.

So, this article is from the CBC, which is out of Canada and is an accredited news source. I trust this company. Please be careful where you’re getting your information from.

ARTICLE: Experts point to anomalies in unprecedented case of missing Nova Scotia children
Lily Sullivan, 6, and Jack Sullivan, 4, were reported missing on May 2nd.

There is a picture of the children: Lily all the way to the left, in the middle is the area that has been searched, and all the way to the right is Jack.

Caption: “Lily and Jack Sullivan were reported missing from their home in Nova Scotia’s Pictou County on May 2nd.”

Two weeks after two young siblings vanished without a trace in rural Nova Scotia, experts are pointing to anomalies in what they say is an unprecedented case that deviates from a typical missing children investigation.

Lily (6) and her brother Jack Sullivan (4) have been missing since May 2nd. That’s when police received a 911 call reporting they had wandered away from their home in Landsdowne Station, a sparsely populated area about 140 kilometers northeast of Halifax.

Nova Scotia RCMP launched a search involving ground search and rescue, dog teams, drones, and helicopters. But after six days of scouring the heavily wooded areas surrounding the home, there was no sign of the children, and the search was called off.

Police have said they do not believe the children were abducted, but they have not ruled out that the case is suspicious.

There is a picture of the home, captioned: “The two children were reported missing from this home on Gerlock Road in Landsdowne Station, about 25 kilometers southwest of New Glasgow.”

Michelle Janice, an associate professor in the criminal justice department at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, said the facts of the case and apparent lack of evidence make it an “anomaly.”

“It doesn’t meet a lot of the normal criteria for what we would see in these types of cases,” said Janice, whose research includes missing persons and juvenile justice.
“Usually there is evidence in some way that would suggest something nefarious has happened. It mirrors those adult missing persons cases where we call it ‘disappearances’—there’s no evidence.”

A few details stand out to Janice as unusual, including the children’s absence from school that week. The children’s stepfather, Daniel Martell, told CBC News that the children were not in school on Thursday or Friday due to illness. They also were not at school on Wednesday due to a professional development day.

“It could be just incredibly bad timing that they had 48 hours unaccounted for before the disappearance, but that’s just one of the things that stands out in my head,” she said.

(There is a picture of Michelle Janice.)

Police will not say if anyone else had contact with or saw the children in the days leading up to their disappearance.

Janice said police should consider whether a person played a part. In a stereotypical kidnapping by a stranger, the offender doesn’t usually target specific children—they act on opportunity.

“It doesn’t seem like that would be the case here because they were in their backyard in a rural community. It’s not like they were walking to school or a gas station where it could be an easy snatch situation,” she said.

“So if it was a stereotypical stranger kidnapping, it would have had to be somebody who said, ‘I want those kids in particular.’”

Nova Scotia RCMP said Tuesday they were following up on more than 180 tips from the public and exploring all avenues.

Caption: “It has been two weeks since siblings Lily Sullivan (6) and Jack Sullivan (4) vanished without a trace in rural Nova Scotia. The RCMP are continuing their investigation and say there is no evidence of an abduction.”

35 people have been identified for formal interviews, including community members and those closest to the children.

(There’s a photo showing the family’s property from the air.)

Michael Arntfield, criminologist at Western University in London, Ontario, called the case “unprecedented”, saying it is highly unlikely for two siblings to vanish when a parent is not involved.

“If that had been the case, I think we would have heard about it very quickly,” he said.
“This case, when you overlay it on a hundred other missing children cases, just doesn’t add up at many levels.”

Arntfield believes police could be more forthcoming with the public:

“Police can’t be everywhere, so they rely on the eyes and ears of the public. That needs to be a two-way street in terms of information. Otherwise, they’re going to get tips that bog down the investigation and aren’t necessarily of any value.”

(There is a photo of stuffed animals and flowers outside the RCMP detachment in Stellarton.)

Arntfield added:

“I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt that there is some active lead being worked and that they don’t want to upset the equilibrium. But based on appearances, this went the wrong direction early on, and key momentum and leads were lost when they were out in the fields looking for kids that maybe were never there.”

RCMP said Friday that all missing persons cases are treated as suspicious until determined otherwise.

In an email Friday evening, Daniel Martell said police told him not to disclose updates during the investigation.

There is also a picture captioned: “Search and rescue crews on May 5, 2025, during the ongoing search for Lily and Jack Sullivan in Nova Scotia’s Pictou County.”

The children’s maternal grandmother, Cindy Murray, said police have advised the family not to speak to the media. RCMP declined an interview and would not answer specific questions.

RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Carly McCannon stated police have spoken to most of the people identified as potentially helpful and are continuing with other interviews.

“Officers involved are also continuing to follow up on new tips that come in,” said McCannon, adding,
“To ensure the integrity of the investigation, no further details will be released.”

McCannon also declined to provide details on why abduction is not suspected.

On Friday, Kevin McClean from Colchester Ground Search and Rescue said searchers would return Saturday and Sunday, focusing on areas around Gerlock Road, where the Sullivan home is located.