CANADA Canada - Jack, 4 & Lilly Sullivan, 6, Vulnerable, wandered from home 10am, Gairloch Rd, Landsdowne Station, Pictou County, NS, 2 May 2025 #3

[branmuffin]

In my opinion - the way I have seen the RCMP use Martell or lack of use him and how it seems they didn’t at least try bring MBM back to the area (IMO she lawyered up anyways) to help makes me think RCMP fairly quickly had reason to believe it wasn’t just a case of children walking off. Think about all of the inconsistencies or weird things we have noticed from a few interviews. Now X that by 1000 for how many the RCMP will notice in their first hour trying to nail down just the timeline while asking follow up questions. I also mentioned before how in my opinion RCMP wouldn’t have brought in SAR outside of the RCMP until they had reason to believe the parents story was off.

If RCMP believed the parents then I would think they would want those parents as close to them as possible because they would know the land best, little unknown spots, the kids tendencies when in each area etc. MBM is basically unavailable because she’s not on site and cell reception is poor. And then there is a couple things I have noticed that lead me to think Martell wasn’t kept close once the large search began:

Something interesting from the dispatch logs is that there is a large amount of times where the person at the SAR headquarters gate is radioing in to say Martell is at the gate looking to speak to RCMP - and asking what they should do, if he’s scheduled for a briefing etc. This happens multiple times.

On one hand I can see a concerned parent showing up every 5 minutes hoping for an update so I can’t fault him.

But operationally I do find it odd. I would think there would be a liaison officer who the family has a direct line to or when considering poor cell service an area that Martell would know he can go straight to to speak to a specific RCMP officer. In all of these communications it appears the person at the gate is caught off guard by Martell showing up and even nervous about what they are supposed to tell Martell. (It should be noted that this person is not RCMP they are one of the volunteers).

In my opinion it appears that they were keeping Martell at an arms length (which isn’t that surprising).

There’s also footage from msm that shows RCMP and SAR leaders meeting with Martell and his family just prior to the press conference, showing the map of the searched places and it appears to me that they are talking to them to so they can have the information they’re about to say at the press conference first ie scaling back etc. - some of his family appears to be upset/crying. It’s obviously normal and respectful to tell them before the press conference but I think there’s been an extra effort to keep Martell a bit out of the loop which they would only do if they felt it was different than the kids just walking away.

They actually had to tell him to stop searching to leave it up to LE and the professionals. I'm sure there were several reasons but the ones I think matter the most is ensuring that any evidence the searchers find of third party involvement happened before the search took place. Also I think having a family member involved in a search for a missing child is incredibly stressful not only for the parent but for those involved in the search.

 

[MistyWaters]

No updates, nothing new to discuss, and more time is passing... after LE has already said that "if they wandered off, they are not likely alive."

So, looking for any kind of hope that they may be alive if their absence is due to something other than having wandered off. For example, taken by their birth father, taken by someone who considered them endangered in their current living circumstances, sold or given away as some kind of "private adoption."

Yes that’s right, no updates, everything we know has been rehashed and then rerehashed. Much like you I’m hoping for some kind of happy ending but I fear that’s probably wishful thinking. The date is May 15th now, Lilly and Jack were reported missing on May 2nd, tomorrow it will be two weeks. Hoping the next RCMP update will contain news of progress in this investigation.

 

[AIGT]

I am one of the people who don’t really believe that they went missing at the time the parents claim and notice a lot of things that don’t make sense in the interviews.

However the one thing the mother said that has given me pause about the timeline being off is on the second day when she did that interview she said something to the effect of “last night was the hardest, not having them in their beds”. It felt kind of off the cuff and if it wasn’t and she was smart enough to say that to help corroborate a fake timeline then why did the other stuff they said not make any sense? - I had also wondered if the kids were in their beds the night before but maybe not alive for whatever reason while the parents decide what to do.

 

[Diddian]

I have a question for anyone who wants to answer.

Do you have any questions you would love to have answered that haven't come up in discussion here?

(Apart from, say, where are the children?)

Here are the two I keep thinking about:

• Are there any vehicles registered to or known to be used by the people who live at this address that are currently unaccounted for?
• Have the police requested internet records from their ISP? (This is the only way to get incognito/private searches and history unless the user employs a VPN.)

I've already mentioned one of these, but I'd like to know:

• What day and timeframe did DM last work?
• Did one or both parents meet the bus at the end of the driveway when the children arrived home from school on Tuesday, April 29?
• Did the bus driver notice either of the children outside the home and on the property when he drove the bus by on either of Thursday or Friday mornings?
• Is there anyone living on that property who is a registered sex offender?
• Is there anyone living on a nearby property who is a registered sex offender?
• (ETA: Are there any adults - neighbors, friends of the mother's or her partner's - the children have recently met who they've attached to?)
  
  

 

[sunshineray]

Correct. You would not jump in a car. I grew up in an area almost exactly like this property and my parents would have gone looking out the back, down the path into the forest, on both sides of the house, behind the coop, etc. (Something I've wondered: Does everyone who lives on the edge of a forest like this have a trampled or cleared path? Maybe not but, growing up, this seemed pretty standard.) You might go check the closest neighbours, if they're within a certain distance, which is not really the case here at 500m-or-so away.

I've generously chalked this silliness up to him omitting it because it took place prior to her calling 911. Also, she says she "instantly" called 911 which, again, sounded very silly to me having grown up in a super rural area. If you grew up in the suburbs or the city, please don't come for me. It's pretty normal for kids to play around in the vicinity and wild animals are a part of forest life.

Or possibly when Lilly came into the room ready to go to school and they told her you're not going to school today, he thought she went down to the road? But that wouldn't explain Jack. I lived kind of rural too foe awhile as a kid, woods around, I hear ya

 

[AIGT]

They actually had to tell him to stop searching to leave it up to LE and the professionals. I'm sure there were several reasons but the ones I think matter the most is ensuring that any evidence the searchers find of third party involvement happened before the search took place. Also I think having a family member involved in a search for a missing child is incredibly stressful not only for the parent but for those involved in the search.

I don’t mean conducting the searches themselves. I agree the families shouldn’t be doing the actual leg work. But I mean on site with officers at base camp, pointing out things on the map, being right there for when someone radios in that they found a blue blanket so police can know if it’s relevant or not etc.

 

[thispersonj]

Did one or both parents meet the bus at the end of the driveway when the children arrived home from school on Tuesday, April 29?

Please expand on where you're going with this. I'm intrigued.

 

[iamafiusny]

I am one of the people who don’t really believe that they went missing at the time the parents claim and notice a lot of things that don’t make sense in the interviews.

However the one thing the mother said that has given me pause about the timeline being off is on the second day when she did that interview she said something to the effect of “last night was the hardest, not having them in their beds”. It felt kind of off the cuff and if it wasn’t and she was smart enough to say that to help corroborate a fake timeline then why did the other stuff they said not make any sense? - I had also wondered if the kids were in their beds the night before but maybe not alive for whatever reason while the parents decide what to do.

It's really odd to me. That juxtaposition of her thinking and caring about them being in their beds and the next morning they never got out of bed and didn't see Jack at all.



Eta: If I'm remembering correctly it's around that time where I thought it looked like she got genuinely upset/teary eyed. Saying something about just wanting them home.

Moo

 

[sunshineray]

Seeing the pictures of the property I don’t see where it is all that difficult terrain. I was picturing heavy impenetrable briars and undergrowth like we have in the Deep South where you literally can’t step forward for the vines, shrubs and trees. Or a landscape like the tall, dense, tangled, disorienting Rhodendrum/Laurel hells of Appalachia.

The pictures may be deceiving but it looks inviting in those fluffy trees and you can actually see the ground. The two could been packing some snacks in the kitchen to go for their own walk seeing how adults were busy. The slider may have been purposely gently closed so as to not make any sound to disturb the resting adults or as the adults said they were sleeping on and off and they missed hearing the sound.

Overhead views of home:

Missing Siblings Lily Jack Sullivan Nova Scotia 2025

I’m sort of back on they they took a little adventure on their own and are out there together somewhere having become lost. As others have noted when those ages get up in the morning they are ready for action and may have decided since Mom is busy with the baby we will just go on.

all imo

I did see a short clip where a rescue person mentioned the hurricanes that in the past years have left the woods with many downed trees, much debris and it was rough going, with personnel coming back with injuries.

 

[thispersonj]

Or possibly when Lilly came into the room ready to go to school and they told her you're not going to school today, he thought she went down to the road? But that wouldn't explain Jack. I lived kind of rural too foe awhile as a kid, woods around, I hear ya

Yeah, I think you might take a look down the road as far as you can see, and maybe even call the school to see if she got on the bus after all.

BUT, all of these decisions would factor on how long it was between hearing/seeing the kids for the last time and looking for them.

Edited to ask: Does anyone have an idea of how long that window of time is?

 

[Diddian]

Please expand on where you're going with this. I'm intrigued.

Since a parent is supposed to accompany the child to the bus stop when they are being delivered to the bus, then I assume the same is required when the bus is delivering the children home.

So, I'd be interested in knowing whether that was the case when the children were last seen by anyone other than the mother and her partner.

And if not, then where were they? And if not, then why were they dropped off in the absence of an adult meeting them?

 

[AIGT]

Yeah, I think you might take a look down the road as far as you can see, and maybe even call the school to see if she got on the bus after all.

BUT, all of these decisions would factor on how long it was between hearing/seeing the kids for the last time and looking for them.

Edited to ask: Does anyone have an idea of how long that window of time is?

Calling the school to see if they got on the bus - That’s another good point especially with their timeline

 

[AIGT]

Yeah, I think you might take a look down the road as far as you can see, and maybe even call the school to see if she got on the bus after all.

BUT, all of these decisions would factor on how long it was between hearing/seeing the kids for the last time and looking for them.

Edited to ask: Does anyone have an idea of how long that window of time is?

Martell said a few minutes at one point. Another time he said 20 minutes. Police dispatch mentions 8am being the last time they were seen when the 911 call came in at 10am.

I think its important that at one point Martell said it was only a few minutes though when thinking about all the stuff he said he did which no one would do if it was only a few minutes

 

[Diddian]

Calling the school to see if they got on the bus - That’s another good point especially with their timeline

If school was out Wednesday for an in-service day (or whatever they call that in Nova Scotia when teachers/staff are there, but students are not), might Lilly and Jack have waited for the bus that day and possibly been standing there at the road for quite awhile (since the bus wasn't scheduled to come but they may not have known it)?

 

[AIGT]

If school was out Wednesday for an in-service day (or whatever they call that in Nova Scotia when teachers/staff are there, but students are not), might Lilly and Jack have waited for the bus that day and possibly been standing there at the road for quite awhile (since the bus wasn't scheduled to come but they may not have known it)?

Interesting - it would be inline with Martells description of what she was wearing/having her backpack…

 

[Skigh]

..

I have a question for anyone who wants to answer.

Do you have any questions you would love to have answered that haven't come up in discussion here?

(Apart from, say, where are the children?)

Here are the two I keep thinking about:

• Are there any vehicles registered to or known to be used by the people who live at this address that are currently unaccounted for?
• Have the police requested internet records from their ISP? (This is the only way to get incognito/private searches and history unless the user employs a VPN.)

I would like to know whether the children had actually had or attempted to make them selves breakfast that morning.

 

[iamafiusny]

If school was out Wednesday for an in-service day (or whatever they call that in Nova Scotia when teachers/staff are there, but students are not), might Lilly and Jack have waited for the bus that day and possibly been standing there at the road for quite awhile (since the bus wasn't scheduled to come but they may not have known it)?

But then wouldn't abduction be a possibility?

RCMP seemed confident right out the gate that there was no evidence of abduction.

I think if they'd be standing waiting by the road someone would have seen them.

Moo

 

[thispersonj]

Since a parent is supposed to accompany the child to the bus stop when they are being delivered to the bus, then I assume the same is required when the bus is delivering the children home.

So, I'd be interested in knowing whether that was the case when the children were last seen by anyone other than the mother and her partner.

And if not, then where were they? And if not, then why were they dropped off in the absence of an adult meeting them?

Gotcha. I know with our Ontario bus line/school board, our driver will not drop our son off without a parent/guardian present because he's in senior kindie (obv, same goes for JK) but this rule does not apply for grade 1s and up. I didn't know info about this rule had come out about Jack/Lilly's bus line.

Please pardon my potential ignorance here around absentee drop off: Are you going so far as to suggest they might have been scooped by someone after being dropped off? If so, why would the parents have waited to report? Maybe because, by the time they noticed, the kids would have been home alone for hours and that would look terrible on them? Am I going in the right direction here? Or is it a simple question of the bus driver having done his due diligence?

 

[Diddian]

But then wouldn't abduction be a possibility?

RCMP seemed confident right out the gate that there was no evidence of abduction.

I think if they'd be standing waiting by the road someone would have seen them.

Moo

Yes, the question would be whether that someone who'd see them (unattended) would take them with nefarious intentions or possibly even with good, but not legal intentions (seeing that they are neglected and taking them to raise them in better circumstances).

 

[thispersonj]

Martell said a few minutes at one point. Another time he said 20 minutes. Police dispatch mentions 8am being the last time they were seen when the 911 call came in at 10am.

I think its important that at one point Martell said it was only a few minutes though when thinking about all the stuff he said he did which no one would do if it was only a few minutes

This is flippin' wild. I'm surprised is hasn't been clarified in any release or press conference by LE. That's such an incredible variation.

Since you had such an amazing answer to that question, here's another: Do you know what time the bus picks them up?