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

[Ontario Mom]

I was more thinking the video footage might be objective confirmation that something DM said is true. I have found him to be credible, though that may leave me in the minority at this point.

For the most part, I've also found him to be rather credible. Which makes it even more of a head-scratcher trying to understand what really happened to those kids.

 

[su5ie]

Snipped by me for focus. IMO, this information possibly makes the video footage of the family out shopping a day or two before Jack and Lilly were reported missing critically important. Wish we could see it.

Yes because if she didn't have it on shopping trip it means the incident happened when they got home .so definitely timing is of vital importance

 

[MistyWaters]

This is an American publication but perhaps we’re not quite the experts on black eyes as we might think? According to this, the cause of one black eye is commonly accidental, it’s two black eyes that are an indication of child abuse. However there aren’t any claims that I’ve noticed of either child having both eyes black at the same time.

Without other evidence, this supports DM’s explanation of the cause.

Source:

https://popcenter.asu.edu/sites/g/files/litvpz3631/files/problems/child_abuse/PDFs/FarleyReece(2002).pdf

 

[MistyWaters]

Yes because if she didn't have it on shopping trip it means the incident happened when they got home .so definitely timing is of vital importance

Except bruises aren't visible immediately, usually taking a day or two to appear. I assume that goes for black eyes as well.

Just curious, what difference do you think the timing would make? And if DM physically abused Lilly after they got home, why would he admit it to the media?

 

[su5ie]

Except bruises aren't visible immediately, usually taking a day or two to appear. I assume that goes for black eyes as well.

Just curious, what difference do you think the timing make? And if DM physically abused Lilly after they got home, why would he admit it to the media?

Very true I actually never thought of that about the time it takes for the black bruising to show with a black eye and credit where credit is due good spot .

But swelling in the area would possibly be visible if cctv was clear enough .? to tell if it was recieved that morning

Your question re why DM would say it to the media . The following is just my observation and speculation only and imo

I have felt DM from day one was in defence mode . Now does that make him guilty of harming the children to the point of murdering them and concealing their bodies . Not necessarily. Personally until the revelation of the black eyes and the alleged comings and goings from property during the night I fully believed DM was / is innocent . Even though I always felt anytime he was speaking to the media ,it was more about clearing his name and ensuring the public knew his side of the story .

I understand there are a number of reasons why a person or DM would go into defence mode . Anything from learnt behaviour growing up , to a guilty conscience to an awareness of statistics re step parents in missing and murdered child cases etc

So my answer is . Can we look at the possibility that prehaps anything DM states is in defensive mode and prehaps this is a natural state for him and nothing underhand is going on or can we also look at it through the prisim of maybe he is building a defence in case it comes to a time were he is prosecuted in a court of law for harming lilly and jack .

For allegations of slander purposes this is jmho and moo

 

[MistyWaters]

Very true I actually never thought of that about the time it takes for the black bruising to show with a black eye and credit where credit is due good spot .

But swelling in the area would possibly be visible if cctv was clear enough .? to tell if it was recieved that morning

Your question re why DM would say it to the media . The following is just my observation and speculation only and imo

I have felt DM from day one was in defence mode . Now does that make him guilty of harming the children to the point of murdering them and concealing their bodies . Not necessarily. Personally until the revelation of the black eyes and the alleged comings and goings from property during the night I fully believed DM was / is innocent . Even though I always felt anytime he was speaking to the media ,it was more about clearing his name and ensuring the public knew his side of the story .

I understand there are a number of reasons why a person or DM would go into defence mode . Anything from learnt behaviour growing up , to a guilty conscience to an awareness of statistics re step parents in missing and murdered child cases etc

So my answer is . Can we look at the possibility that prehaps anything DM states is in defensive mode and prehaps this is a natural state for him and nothing underhand is going on or can we also look at it through the prisim of maybe he is building a defence in case it comes to a time were he is prosecuted in a court of law for harming lilly and jack .

For allegations of slander purposes this is jmho and moo

True, we’re trying to solve the impossible because we don’t have enough information but the RCMP would already know the answers to that what we ponder. What DM has disclosed to the media, or his rational for his tidbits of information, won’t solve this case. It’s not unheard of for relatives of victims of crime to discuss in advance with police what to say to the media. Me personally, I’ve never thought he was just winging it, what he says has been strategic but that’s just my opinion and I could be wrong.

We don’t know -
Was Lilly’s having a black eye visible to witnesses or video on May 1st during the ‘last sighting’ trip to New Glasgow?
Did DM admit to her black eye caused by an accident with the toy truck when initially interviewed by police following the missing children report? If he admitted it during initial interviews IMO he’s telling the truth. If he didn’t, indeed that arouses suspicion. But it’s unfair to unjustly insinuate the man is a child abuser because of what we don’t know.
JMO

 

[Colleen Donnelly]

I have found him to be credible, though that may leave me in the minority at this point.

For the most part, I've also found him to be rather credible. Which makes it even more of a head-scratcher trying to understand what really happened to those kids.

I as well find him credible. I have no idea why Malehya hasn't spoken to any media since the beginning but if it has to do with her mental health, I absolutely understand.

 

[su5ie]

True, we’re trying to solve the impossible because we don’t have enough information but the RCMP would already know the answers to that what we ponder. What DM has disclosed to the media, or his rational for his tidbits of information, won’t solve this case. It’s not unheard of for relatives of victims of crime to discuss in advance with police what to say to the media. Me personally, I’ve never thought he was just winging it, what he says has been strategic but that’s just my opinion and I could be wrong.

We don’t know -
Was Lilly’s having a black eye visible to witnesses or video on May 1st during the ‘last sighting’ trip to New Glasgow?
Did DM admit to her black eye caused by an accident with the toy truck when initially interviewed by police following the missing children report? If he admitted it during initial interviews IMO he’s telling the truth. If he didn’t, indeed that arouses suspicion. But it’s unfair to unjustly insinuate the man is a child abuser because of what we don’t know.
JMO

Yes ,yes and yes

All we have is an opinion on what has been released through the media whether that be msm ( verified) or SM ( a minefield) we are not going to solve this case and at this stage for me trying to seperate fact from fiction and he said she said is getting tiring.

I suppose/speculate peoples opinions will be based on their personal history , employment in certain fields and gender and class bias among other things

I suppose we could bring the boil back to a simmer and list what we do know ,and that is jack and lilly are missing. The search turned up nothing of significance as far as the public are aware besides what was released. The following is what is verified by multiple parties ie rcmp and or msm

* The boot prints in 2 locations and
pink blanket both of which there may be none or a lot of significance attached to them .
*Kids were reported missing on the 2nd of may at 10.01am by their mother *Last seen on cctv with family on the 1st of May , grocery shopping or in a parking lot
*statements ,allegations of prior cps involvement
* bruising to eyes of both children at separate times .One incident confirmed on jack in school photo allegation not verified of others and bruising on lilly confirmed by DM and noted in G&M msm article
* Mother left the search area on the 3rd of may and has not publicly ( msm) spoken out that I'm aware of
*major crimes is leading the investigation alongside many other agencies
*LE are reviewing over 5000 files on the case

If I'm truly honest any allegations of child abuse , dv , neglect , money problems stem from invested parties on both sides of the equation whether truth is within those allegations. Well I'm standing in ireland so I personally do not know, I can form an opinion based on my second paragraph but unless I can view the dynamic close up and had known the families affected before the kids went missing. Hand on heart I really don't KNOW

I just hope there is a breakthrough and whatever the outcome lilly and jack are given a Christian burial and Closure is given to the families through an inquest or trial .

I'm tired and my investment in this case is just got to the stage where I'm going around in circles and doing mental gymnastics equivalent to a mathematician trying to figure out quantum physics .

 

[tlcya]

Common-law partners can register their relationship with the government of Nova Scotia. If they do this, the partners will have many of the same rights as married people. This includes pension benefits and the share of assets when the partners separate or one dies.

A question that has never been answered for me is, were DM and MBM a registered common law couple or is Stepfather just a title that LE and the press gave DM early on in this case and it stuck?

 

[Ontario Mom]

Common-law partners can register their relationship with the government of Nova Scotia. If they do this, the partners will have many of the same rights as married people. This includes pension benefits and the share of assets when the partners separate or one dies.

A question that has never been answered for me is, were DM and MBM a registered common law couple or is Stepfather just a title that LE and the press gave DM early on in this case and it stuck?

If they were reporting that they were living as housemates and not a couple (common law) then him not filing his taxes (that we recently heard about) would have never affected her benefits. Housemates income & filing doesn't affect the benefits of another housemate. If common law, then 100% it affects her benefits.

If their status IS common law, it also means he's legally recognized as a step-parent as much as he would be if they were "officially" married.

Not that I think any of that really matters but that's generally how it works here.

jmo

 

[ErinC]

I am at the exact same place with this that I find myself at with Summer Wells. Statistically, and most obviously, the parents present themselves as the lead suspects, but I really don't think they possess quite the ...intellectual sharpness, I guess... to have successfully concealed their deeds for this long. I just feel like that if they had done something, and the entirety of LE had turned on them as it did, either one of them or a relative with a guilty conscience from helping conceal the act would have cracked by now. MOO

 

[LadyL]

is the neighbour's recollection of hearing a 5-speed vehicle the night before a red herring?

 

[iamshadow21]

I am at the exact same place with this that I find myself at with Summer Wells. Statistically, and most obviously, the parents present themselves as the lead suspects, but I really don't think they possess quite the ...intellectual sharpness, I guess... to have successfully concealed their deeds for this long. I just feel like that if they had done something, and the entirety of LE had turned on them as it did, either one of them or a relative with a guilty conscience from helping conceal the act would have cracked by now. MOO

Murderers don't have to be smart, just lucky. And actually, sometimes, not so bright killers do well because they don't overthink things or fret about how they've executed their plans. A more intelligent killer might overcomplicate things or feel the need to find out what the investigation is up to, and thereby tip their hand.

It's tempting to attribute success to giftedness, when actually, it's often nothing of the sort.

MOO

 

[Ontario Mom]

is the neighbour's recollection of hearing a 5-speed vehicle the night before a red herring?

It certainly could be. There's no way to know if any of what the neighbor said is true or not.

 

[MistyWaters]

It certainly could be. There's no way to know if any of what the neighbor said is true or not.

Certainly raises questions as the report wasn’t made until six days after the children were reported missing, the same date as the search of the forest was called off.

 

[tlcya]

I do not find DM credible. At all. I look forward to the day we get some answers on this case. NO updates in weeks. Until we get something new to discuss not much point in posting. JMO

As to the black eye discussion, yes, kids roughhouse and have accidents that sometimes lead to bruises.

What is relevant to me in this case is that a mandated reporter, familiar with these children and children in general, apparently had enough concerns to flag these children and the Martell household to CPS. The fact (as reported on the Globe and Mail) that CPS visited the home just months before both children mysteriously is disappeared is very relevant to me.

Others may get less mileage from that than I do and that is fine. The beauty of this site is that we don't have to all agree on the subject.

Until we get more updates from LE I will resume lurk mode.

 

[Slebby]

With respect to the report of a 5 speed vehicle coming and going through the night - I personally find it hard to believe that the report would be false. No matter the level of animosity between neighbours, when there are two small children missing, I find it hard to believe someone would make a false report about vehicular comings and goings. A false report could backfire, if there is evidence such as video that no such car was in the area. A 5 speed vehicle is also oddly specific to be false. IMO.

So if true, I would hope LE is drilling down to get more details.
What time did it start?
Was it at regular intervals, ie one hour apart, or was it 15 minutes here, 2 hours there, etc.?
Did you see the vehicle?
Did you see any occupant or occupants?
Do you have an idea of what direction it came from, and what direction it was headed?

In combination with any video footage from the night in question, this could be a very helpful clue.
IMHO

 

[Chimera]

Vehicles coming & going throughout the night could mean a party (just because someone says there was no party doesn't mean there wasn't, imo) ; or someone(s) in a total panic.

I have my opinions about either scenario.

Question : Does a 5 speed mean a stick shift ?
Thanks in advance.
Omo.

 

[Lalalacasbah]

Vehicles coming & going throughout the night could mean a party (just because someone says there was no party doesn't mean there wasn't, imo) ; or someone(s) in a total panic.

I have my opinions about either scenario.

Question : Does a 5 speed mean a stick shift ?
Thanks in advance.
Omo.

Yes 5 speed means: a stick shift or manual transmission sometimes called a "standard" as opposed to an "automantic" vehicle.

Usually you have a clutch petal to use while switching gears (no idea if this is still the norm in newer vehicles, I haven't drove stick since the 2010 or so lol)...

So sometimes during gear switching, some people may over rev the engine (usually if unfamiliar with driving one) or get stuck in a gear and a rev may occur as well. They can sound different from an automatic depending how it's driven.

 

[Sillybilly]

Vehicles coming & going throughout the night could mean a party (just because someone says there was no party doesn't mean there wasn't, imo) ; or someone(s) in a total panic.

I have my opinions about either scenario.

Question : Does a 5 speed mean a stick shift ?
Thanks in advance.
Omo.

Just for the record, the "party" may have started as social media rumor. It was mentioned in MSM that Daniel addressed it by denying there was a party.

from: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/jack-lilly-sullivan-missing-children-pictou-1.7548258

Martell also addressed rumours there was a party at the home before the children went missing.

"There was no drug party the day before the disappearance," he said. "That's absolute nonsense."

IF there was a party, why has nobody come forward to MSM to tell us all about it? It seems DM took the bull by the horns to refute it, so where are the others to refute his denial?