As the search for two missing siblings in rural Nova Scotia stretches into its fourth week, the RCMP has intensified its efforts by collecting surveillance footage from a neighbor living adjacent to the children’s family home. The footage is seen as a potentially critical piece of evidence in a case that has gripped the region with fear, sorrow, and an overwhelming sense of urgency.

Ava and Benjamin Carroll, aged 10 and 7, were last seen playing in their front yard on a quiet Sunday afternoon in the community of Westville, Pictou County. Their parents, who had been inside preparing lunch, noticed their absence within twenty minutes and began searching the area. After an hour of fruitless searching, the RCMP was called. Since then, hundreds of volunteers and law enforcement officials have combed the forests, roads, and waterways surrounding the Carroll residence.

Despite weeks of intensive searching, no trace of the children has been found. Investigators have followed multiple leads, explored abduction theories, and ruled out known sex offenders in the area. Now, attention has turned toward digital surveillance—doorbell cameras, wildlife cameras, and home security systems installed by nearby residents.

One such neighbor, who has requested anonymity for privacy reasons, provided footage from their driveway camera, which faces a portion of the gravel road leading from the Carroll property to the main street. The footage, recorded on the day the children vanished, is now under forensic review by the RCMP’s digital analysis unit. Officials hope it will either show the children at a critical point in their movement or capture an unfamiliar vehicle or person who may have been in the area around the time of their disappearance.

According to sources close to the investigation, the footage spans a six-hour window, from early morning until late afternoon. Analysts are combing through each minute to detect even the slightest anomaly. An RCMP spokesperson confirmed the footage was being treated as “potentially valuable” and would be cross-referenced with other digital evidence and witness reports.

The neighbor’s footage isn’t the only data being reviewed. Another homeowner, located two properties down from the Carrolls, came forward with recordings from a wildlife camera mounted in their backyard. Although that footage primarily shows animals, investigators have not ruled out the possibility that it could hold relevant background activity—unfamiliar footsteps, shadows, or distant voices.

These technological resources have become increasingly central to the search as traditional methods have yielded few results. Maps used by search and rescue teams have grown increasingly complex, with digital overlays marking locations where clues were found—or where no trace was detected at all. The terrain around Westville includes dense woods, abandoned farmhouses, and several unmarked paths that children could have wandered down or someone with intent could have used for concealment.

So far, the only physical evidence recovered includes a shoe believed to belong to Benjamin, found two kilometers from the home. Forensics are still processing it for DNA, but investigators believe it supports the theory that the children may have left the property on foot—voluntarily or otherwise.

The children’s parents, Emily and Sean Carroll, have been cooperating fully with the investigation and remain at the family home. They participated in several interviews and have made public appeals for help. Speaking through tears at a recent press conference, Emily said, “If anyone saw anything that day, anything at all—please, please speak up. We need our kids home.”

Authorities have also not ruled out the possibility that the children may have been taken by someone they knew. Family friends, relatives, and acquaintances have been interviewed extensively. Phone records and social media profiles have been reviewed to identify any interactions that might raise concern. Still, no person of interest has been publicly named.

The community of Westville has been unwavering in its support of the Carrolls. Flyers and posters are visible in every shop window and on nearly every telephone pole. Daily search parties continue to set out from the local fire station, some led by trained professionals, others by concerned residents who refuse to let hope slip away.

The emotional toll is visible. Local businesses have organized fundraisers, and schools in the district have provided grief counseling for classmates of the missing children. “We can’t move forward until we have answers,” said one teacher who taught Ava last year. “Every day that passes makes it harder, but also harder to give up.”

The RCMP’s recent focus on surveillance footage has provided a renewed sense of momentum. Experts in digital forensics say even something as small as a car passing by at an unusual time or a reflection in a window can become vital. “It’s not always about the obvious,” said one analyst familiar with missing persons cases. “Sometimes a shadow or sound in the background can shift the direction of a whole investigation.”

In addition to analyzing local footage, investigators are also examining data from cell towers, hoping to track any unfamiliar devices in the area at the time of the disappearance. This type of geo-fencing technique is increasingly used in modern investigations to detect unusual patterns of movement in remote areas.

Public tips continue to come in, albeit at a slower pace than in the initial days. The RCMP maintains an active tip line and encourages anyone who passed through Westville on the day of the disappearance to review dashcam footage or consider whether they saw anything unusual. Every detail, officials stress, could matter.

While the neighbor’s footage has not yet revealed any conclusive evidence, its discovery and submission to the RCMP underscores the critical role of community cooperation in such cases. Police have expressed gratitude for the public’s continued vigilance, asking others in the area to review any footage they may have, no matter how insignificant it may seem.

As the investigation enters its second month, the words “unfinished business” have become a quiet mantra among searchers and officers alike. There is a firm, unwavering commitment among everyone involved that the case will not be closed until the truth is uncovered—until Ava and Benjamin are brought home, or their fate is known.

The atmosphere in Westville is one of hope mixed with heartbreak. Days pass more slowly. People speak in hushed tones about the children’s laughter, now missing from the neighborhood. But amid the sorrow, there is resolve. Every clue, every scrap of video, every volunteered hour brings the community closer to an answer.

The footage from the Carrolls’ neighbor could be a breakthrough or another brick in an already heavy wall of uncertainty. But it is being examined frame by frame, second by second—because somewhere in those quiet hours, there might be a flicker of truth waiting to be seen.