Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Nova Scotia have released a statement regarding missing children Jack and Lilly Sullivan.

The children unfortunately remain missing.

May 13, 2025, Lansdowne Station, Nova Scotia… The Pictou County District RCMP, with the assistance of the Northeast Nova RCMP Major Crime Unit, continue to investigate the disappearance of Lilly and Jack Sullivan.

“We’re exploring all avenues in this missing persons investigation,” says Staff Sergeant Curtis MacKinnon, Pictou County District RCMP. “We have officers from multiple disciplines dedicated to finding Lilly and Jack, including highly trained RCMP major crime and forensic investigators.”

To date, more than 180 tips have been received from the public, and are being followed up on. Officers have so far identified 35 people for formal interviews as part of the investigation, including community members and those closest to the children. And on May 8 and 9, the RCMP’s Underwater Recovery Team (URT) scoured bodies of water around Lansdowne Station; URT’s two-day operation didn’t uncover any evidence.

“We continue to work day and night on this file,” says S/Sgt. MacKinnon. “Like all Nova Scotians, we want answers, and we want to know what happened to these children.”

On May 2, at approximately 10 a.m., Pictou County District RCMP received a report that Lilly and Jack were missing. They were believed to have wandered away from their home on Gairloch Rd. A multi-agency search and missing persons investigation began immediately.

The search, which was scaled back to specific areas on May 7, has covered 5.5 square kilometres of heavily wooded, rural terrain in the Gairloch Rd. area. It has involved up to 160 trained volunteer searchers and many others, and tens of thousands of search hours. Efforts to locate Lilly and Jack also included two vulnerable missing persons alerts.

Nearly three weeks after Jack and Lily Sullivan vanished from their rural Nova Scotia home, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have issued an official statement updating the public on the status of the investigation, reaffirming their commitment to the search and addressing growing questions about the direction of the case.

In a televised press conference held Monday afternoon at RCMP headquarters in Pictou County, Staff Sergeant Elaine Moore delivered a prepared statement outlining the RCMP’s ongoing efforts and appealing directly to the public for further assistance.

“Despite an extensive and thorough search of the area surrounding the Sullivan home, and a review of all leads received to date, we have not yet located Jack or Lily Sullivan,” Moore said. “Our investigation remains active and is a top priority for law enforcement in this province.”

The two children, four-year-old Jack and his six-year-old sister Lily, were reported missing on Friday, May 2. Their mother, Amanda Sullivan, told police she last saw them playing inside their home on Gairloch Road in Lansdowne Station at approximately 10:00 a.m. When she returned to check on them, the children were gone. The back patio doors were open, and a search of the house and immediate surroundings turned up nothing.

Since then, a massive operation has unfolded involving provincial emergency services, local volunteers, search and rescue teams, canine units, helicopters, drones, and thermal imaging. Hundreds of volunteers have helped comb forests, riversides, and rugged terrain surrounding the family’s rural property. Despite the scale of the search, no physical evidence has been found.

In Monday’s statement, Staff Sgt. Moore addressed the lack of evidence directly. “We understand the frustration and fear this has caused, not only for the family but also for the community. The absence of any trace is deeply troubling, but it does not mean we are out of options. Our investigators are exploring every possible scenario.”

Moore confirmed that the RCMP are pursuing multiple investigative angles, including accidental disappearance, abduction, and third-party involvement. However, she emphasized that the case remains a missing persons investigation. “At this time, we have no definitive evidence to classify this case as a criminal matter,” she said, “but we are not ruling anything out.”

For the first time, the RCMP also acknowledged that they have interviewed all adult individuals known to have regular contact with the children. Moore confirmed that polygraph tests were offered to some of these individuals, though she did not specify who participated or the results. “We will not be commenting on individual interviews or investigative strategies,” she said. “Our focus is the safe return of Jack and Lily.”

This portion of the statement comes after recent media attention on the children’s stepfather, Daniel Rourke, who publicly stated he had taken and passed a polygraph test to clear his name. While the RCMP did not confirm or deny that claim, they reiterated that no one has been named as a suspect.

The RCMP’s statement also addressed the circulating reports about a vehicle—a dark SUV—spotted near the Sullivan home on the morning the children disappeared. Moore confirmed that investigators are “actively working to identify and locate the vehicle and its occupants” and are requesting anyone who may have dashcam footage or relevant sightings from May 2 to contact the detachment immediately.

In addition to updating the investigation’s status, Moore used the press conference to deliver a message directly to the public and to anyone who may be withholding information. “We urge anyone with information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to come forward. Someone knows something, and that information could be the key to bringing Jack and Lily home.”

The RCMP also encouraged the public to avoid spreading rumors or unverified theories online, which they say can be damaging to both the investigation and the grieving family. “We are aware of a significant amount of misinformation circulating on social media,” Moore added. “Please rely on official sources and help us maintain a respectful, fact-based public dialogue.”

To support their investigation, the RCMP announced they will continue their partnership with national agencies, including the National Centre for Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains (NCMPUR) and the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. Specialized forensic and data analysis teams have also been brought in to review digital trails, including call logs, text messages, surveillance footage, and geolocation data.

Moore closed her remarks by directly addressing Amanda Sullivan, who has remained largely out of the public eye since her children went missing. “To the Sullivan family, we want you to know that we are not giving up. Jack and Lily’s disappearance has touched all of us. Our officers are working around the clock, and we will not stop until we find them.”

Amanda, through her family spokesperson, issued a brief response after the RCMP’s update: “We are grateful for the continued efforts of law enforcement and all who are helping us search. We hold on to hope every day. Please, if you know anything, come forward. Help bring my babies home.”

Meanwhile, community members continue to rally around the Sullivan family. Candlelight vigils have been held in Pictou, Antigonish, and even as far as Halifax. Pink and blue ribbons, symbolic of Lily and Jack, are now seen tied to trees and fences along roads across the county. A large banner at the Lansdowne fire hall reads, “Still Searching. Still Hoping.”

The province’s $150,000 reward for information remains active, and authorities are urging anyone with relevant information to contact Crime Stoppers or the RCMP detachment in Pictou County. Tips can be submitted anonymously, and officials stress that no piece of information is too small.

As the days continue to pass, the uncertainty deepens—but so does the collective resolve. The RCMP’s latest statement may not offer the closure so many desperately seek, but it serves as a public reaffirmation: the search is still active, the investigation is still expanding, and the hope of bringing Jack and Lily home is very much alive.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Nova Scotia RCMP tip line at 1-800-803-7267 or submit tips anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).