It has been almost 10 months since Lilly Sullivan, 6, and Jack Sullivan, 4, were reported missing from their home on Gairloch Road in Lansdowne Station, N.S., on May 2, 2025. Jack would now be five years old.
Their grandmother, Belynda Gray, has taken the lead in keeping the search alive and pushing for answers.
Gray says she is anxious for spring and hopes to resume searches with dogs once the snow melts.
In the meantime, she has launched a GoFundMe as she seeks guardianship of her grandchildren. That guardianship would allow her to access documents she currently cannot, including reports from Child Protective Services and the children’s school.
“That was my main reason for wanting to start this,” Gray said, explaining why she is pursuing guardianship. “If Lilly and Jack are found, I want to be able to be a voice for them to receive love and care in the future. If things don’t go the way we’re hoping, I want to be the voice and the person who lays them to rest with love.”
Gray has already attended one court appearance and is scheduled for another to amend the paperwork. Her lawyer is working pro bono, but court costs, including filing and travel expenses, remain significant.
Meanwhile, the children’s stepfather, Daniel Martell, was arrested on Jan. 26 and faces charges of assault, forcible confinement and sexual assault involving an adult woman residing on Gairloch Road.
Those charges are unrelated to the children’s disappearance and have not been proven in court. Martell is scheduled to appear in Pictou provincial court on Monday.
Pictou County Warden, Robert Parker, said he believes the RCMP is doing all it can.
“I don’t doubt the RCMP are doing all they can, but until they get a break, they’re not going to be able to do anything. They can’t just come up with news to tell people. It has to be something real,” Parker said.
Police are continuing to investigate the children’s disappearance as a missing persons case. The RCMP said on Feb. 3 that investigators have received 1,111 tips and are “actively engaged in more than 1,400 investigative tasks as part of their ongoing efforts.”
Numerous searches involving police, search and rescue crews, and volunteers, have taken place since the children were reported missing. The RCMP also brought in cadaver dogs in late September, but they found no remains after covering an area of 40 kilometres.
Gray said she feels hopeful the investigation is on the right track.
“I actually feel the RCMP are on the right track,” she said. “I feel hopeful that we will have an answer,” she said.
Lilly is described as four-feet-tall and 60 pounds. She has light brown hair and hazel eyes. It is believed she was wearing a pink Barbie top, pink rubber boots with a rainbow print, and carrying a cream-coloured backpack with a strawberry print.
Jack is described as three-foot-six and 40 pounds. He has dark blond hair and hazel eyes. It is believed he was wearing a pull-up diaper, black Under Armour jogging pants, and blue rubber boots with a dinosaur print.
Investigators continue to ask anyone with information on the whereabouts of Lilly and Jack Sullivan to contact the Northeast Nova RCMP Major Crime Unit at 902 896 5060 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477.)
The Nova Scotia Justice Department is also offering a cash reward of up to $150,000 for information about the case under its Rewards for Major Unsolved Crimes program.