This is a breaking news update on the mysterious disappearance of six-year-old Lily Sullivan and her four-year-old brother, Jack Sullivan, from their home in Lanstown Station, Pictou County, Nova Scotia.

The Northeast Nova RCMP major crime unit has confirmed a new sighting of the siblings on Thursday, May 1st — the day before they vanished. Investigators have collected hours of video from the areas surrounding Lanstown Station. A spokesperson stated, “Based on the details we’ve gathered so far, we’ve confirmed that Lily and Jack were observed in public with family members on the afternoon of May 1st. We’re now asking anyone who has dash cam footage or video along Gerlock Road between 12:00 p.m. on April 28th and 12:00 p.m. on May 2nd to contact us.”

Daniel Martell repeatedly emphasized in early interviews — including one with CBC News — that Lily and Jack were home the day before they went missing, reinforcing that they were too sick to leave the house. This makes the RCMP’s confirmed sighting of the children out in public on May 1st — the day before they went missing — a striking contradiction.

So, what does this mean? Is it a simple oversight — perhaps a figure of speech to suggest they were mostly resting, and a brief errand wasn’t worth mentioning? Or did he deliberately withhold those details, perhaps to avoid questions about who the children were with or where they went?

Online sleuths initially speculated the children could have gone missing before the 911 call at 10:00 a.m. on May 2nd, given their absence from school since Tuesday. But this new sighting narrows the timeline to a 19-hour window — adding another layer of intrigue.

Neighbors have reported that the RCMP requested trail camera footage, possibly to track vehicles in the area. Officers also asked about their family’s vehicles to rule out local traffic in the footage. This raises questions: Are investigators checking the parents’ movements? Or looking for an unfamiliar car that didn’t belong in this quiet rural neighborhood?

Early on, Daniel’s account was called into question. He somehow knew what the kids were wearing, and Malaya Brooks Murray claimed the kids were playing outside — even though neither of them said they had seen the children outside that day.

In one viral interview, Daniel refers to his children in the past tense — almost as though he already knew what happened to them.

“Jack just absolutely loves bugs, dinosaurs, anything like that. But Lily… Lily loves girly things. But she also loved doing everything with Jack. Bugs. They’re like best friends.”

Adding to the mystery, Daniel publicly requested a polygraph test to clear his name. The RCMP has neither confirmed nor denied whether one has been administered, leaving the public to speculate about what he might want to prove — or conceal.

“They’re flying someone in to do a polygraph test.”
“Is that for you?”
“Uh, that’s not just on me, but on everyone. That’s what I asked for. I asked for that so early on, and there’s not many places that do it in Canada. So they’re flying somebody in.”
“Why do you think you need to do that? Do you think they don’t believe you?”
“Uh, I think their side of the family doesn’t believe me. And I just want to clear it up for everybody — not just the people online making crazy accusations.”

An expert has called the RCMP’s early decision to rule out abduction a major clue.

“That’s a big statement to make this early in the game.”

It has now been 24 days since Lily and Jack Sullivan were reported missing from their home in Lanstown Station.

Family members have speculated the children were taken, but police remain adamant that they do not believe the siblings were abducted.

According to Nova Scotia’s recently updated policing standards, abduction is defined as when a person under 18 or a vulnerable individual is taken without the permission of their legal guardian.

Jim Hoskins, a retired HRP officer and former major crime staff sergeant — although not involved in this case — sees two main possibilities:

“What I see from the outside, there are only two options here: either criminal involvement… or they legitimately got lost in the woods.”

“I felt, okay, let’s give it a couple of days to see if these kids just wandered off, because they’re only six and four. If they’re lost, they’ll find them. Maybe. If not, let’s see how far this goes.”

“If it goes beyond two or three days… uh-oh.”

That “uh-oh” is a feeling now shared across the province — one driving the public’s obsession with this case.

In 2024, there were just over 30,000 cases of missing children in Canada. The vast majority involved runaways or teenagers, with 90% resolved within one week. Cases that deviate from this timeline often draw greater public attention, especially when young children are involved.

Experts say such disappearances strike at the heart of every parent’s worst fear — even though only 0.1% of those cases involve stranger or parental abduction.

Despite online rumors about criminal motives or cover-ups, Lily and Jack’s stepfather, Daniel Martell, has refuted all claims of involvement, offering to take a polygraph.

Hoskins maintains there’s still a chance the children are close by:

“You can’t write it off and say they’re definitely not in the woods. You can still overlook bodies.”

Searchers were back in the woods near the home a week ago, but no significant updates have emerged since. What strikes Hoskins most is how rare — and bizarre — such a case is:

“With this particular family… two are gone. That’s bizarre.”

Lily and Jack’s mother, Malaya Brooks Murray, has reactivated her Facebook account to push for an Amber Alert. But the RCMP stated there was no evidence of abduction, so it didn’t meet the criteria.

On her Facebook, she appeared to change her relationship status to “single” and removed all mentions of Daniel Martell. Daniel has alleged that Malaya accused him of involvement in the disappearance. She has since left town to stay with her mother and blocked him on social media.

So what does the data say?

If there’s no evidence the children wandered off into the woods, then — statistically — the most likely scenario is abduction by a family member or someone they know. Stranger abduction remains extremely rare.

The RCMP’s vague reference to “family members” the children were seen with on May 1st has only fueled speculation. Was it a parent — or someone else?

Malaya’s estranged father, Henry Brooks, a member of the Sipekne’katik First Nation, has a criminal history including assault, drug trafficking, and weapons charges. He commented on Malaya’s post requesting an Amber Alert, calling her “baby girl” and offering to track his grandchildren — which raised eyebrows among internet sleuths.

But to be clear: there is no known link between him and the disappearance.

Similarly, online chatter has pointed to Daniel Martell’s brother, who lived on the property and seemed unusually calm during the search. Some noticed Daniel’s suspiciously clean ATV and boots — appearing as though they’d been hosed down. But again, these are unverified theories from the internet.

There is also buzz about a body found in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia — roughly 2.5 hours from Lanstown Station. Some social media influencers attempted to link the remains to Lily and Jack’s case. However, this is unconfirmed and likely unrelated.

That discovery is believed to involve missing man Justin MacDonald, last seen on July 7th, 2024, at an Irving gas station. His car was found 25 kilometers away on Mirror Road.

As the search continues, we urge caution with unverified online claims. Investigators remain committed to following all leads.

To date, more than 355 tips have been received. RCMP officers have formally interviewed over 50 people, with more interviews scheduled.

A large-scale ground and air search began immediately after the children were reported missing on May 2nd. But as of now, their fate remains unknown.

If you have any information on the whereabouts of Lily and Jack Sullivan — or relevant video footage — please contact: