N.S. missing kids: Key dates 1 month into disappearance of Lilly and Jack

It’s a story that has gripped the province, the country and beyond.

One month after two young siblings went missing in Nova Scotia, there are seemingly no answers in the search for Lilly and Jack Sullivan.

To mark the sombre milestone, a candlelight vigil is planned for Monday at 8:30 p.m. in Stellarton, N.S.

Here’s a timeline on what we know so far in the investigation.

The sister and brother — aged six and four — were reported missing on the morning of May 2 from their home on Gairloch Road in Lansdowne Station, which is about 30 kilometres from New Glasgow, N.S.

The children’s stepfather, Daniel Martell, said Lilly and Jack were home Friday morning with him, his partner and their baby.

He said that when they noticed the children were missing, they immediately ran outside to look for them.

“I was ahead of the helicopters, ahead of the drones … screaming loud as I can, until my throat hurt, running through water that was up to my waist,” he said.

“They hate being wet and cold, so they immediately would have come back into the house. The only two (foot) prints are right beside the house facing the road and that’s it.”

RCMP said the siblings were believed to have “wandered away.” They noted that there was no evidence of abduction, so it didn’t qualify for an Amber Alert.

Martell called for the search to be expanded to provincial borders, in case the children were abducted.

Ground search and rescue crews — alongside police dogs, drones and aircraft — scoured the woods daily following the disappearance.

There were upwards of 160 people on site, pushing ahead through rainy and foggy conditions.

Martell also told Global News he hasn’t had contact with the children’s mother since May 3, when she left the area.

“You don’t have to trust my word, but I’m the only one doing media for Jack and Lilly — trying to keep this story alive and get them found,” he said in a recent interview.

When reached by phone, the children’s mother, Malehya Brooks-Murray, said she had been advised by RCMP not to speak with the media further. Her mother, Cyndy Murray, also spoke to Global News at the time and said the family was hoping for a positive outcome.

In a news conference, RCMP said the search for the siblings was being “scaled back,” with police saying there was little chance the siblings could have survived several days in the heavily wooded area.

RCMP said it has been an “all hands on deck effort” and that while they are scaling back the full search to look at more “specific spaces,” they are not ending their efforts.

“We’re not packing up and we’re not giving up,” said Staff Sgt. Curtis MacKinnon, district commander for Pictou County District RCMP.

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On May 8 and 9, police said the RCMP’s underwater recovery team searched bodies of water around Lansdowne Station but the two-day operation “didn’t uncover any evidence.”

Renewed searches took place on the ground and in the air. RCMP said 115 volunteers came out during the weekend to comb through specific areas again.

“This weekend’s search will be carefully reviewed and assessed by investigators and search managers to help in planning any further ground and air search efforts,” the force said.

The children’s stepfather said he was thankful for the efforts of volunteers and authorities who took part in the renewed search.

“The scenario everyone is hoping for is we bring them home. That’s the main objective. It’s always been that from day one,” Martell said.

RCMP confirmed the siblings were seen in public with family members the day before being reported missing, based on video footage and eyewitness accounts.

Police also put a call out for dashcam footage or video along Gairloch Road between noon on April 28 and noon on May 2.

Martell told Global News he had taken a polygraph test, which he said he offered to undergo.

“I do have results and I don’t know if I can share those results, but they were good in my favour. I’ll say that,” he said.

The search resumed around the family’s home on Gairloch Road for two days of targeted searching.

Amy Hansen, Colchester County ground search-and-rescue manager, said this weekend’s search was focused on the Gairloch Road area and along a nearby “pipeline trail,” where a small boot print was previously found.

A crew of about 75 first resumed the search in rainy conditions on Saturday, alongside three drones and seven drone operators. Heavy winds and an incoming geomagnetic storm kept drones on the ground on Sunday, Hansen said.

Searchers hadn’t uncovered anything new by mid-afternoon Sunday and a discussion will take place with RCMP on whether another targeted search is needed.

— with files from Global News’ Ella MacDonald and The Canadian Press 

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