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

[AIGT]

I am all over the place with this one. One minute I think Stepdad is just a very worried father figure who is worried sick about his stepkids. The next I feel he is overexplaining and presenting himself as the one who cares about finding the children most, above all others.

Mom leaving the area temporarily can easily be explained as either LE telling her to do so because of the argument that is said to have taken place Saturday or if the land is owned by Daniel's mother she says who stays or goes. But to then block your partner and not speak to him again, when he occupies the property from which your children went missing? I'm having a harder time with that.

The fact that he is so very vocal and she is so very silent troubles me. There may be a perfectly reasonable explanation but I am having a hard time with that.

Also if as Daniel states her family thinks "I did it" I wonder why. Maleyah and Daniel both indicate they were together, in the room, saw/heard Lily and heard Jack. Until they didn't. Does MBM's family disbelieve her as well as DM since they both pretty much tell the same story? If they disbelieve it from him does that mean they also disbelieve her?

ETA as to BBM DID WHAT?

This part of your post - “Also if as Daniel states her family thinks "I did it" I wonder why. Maleyah and Daniel both indicate they were together, in the room, saw/heard Lily and heard Jack. Until they didn't. Does MBM's family disbelieve her as well as DM since they both pretty much tell the same story? If they disbelieve it from him does that mean they also disbelieve her?”

You are correct in thinking this does not make sense. He could have easily said “she knows I didn’t do anything, we were together the whole time” instead of saying he requested a polygraph to prove it.

A counter point could be that she wasn’t telling the full truth in that interview for her own safety at the time and her family knows that.

Additionally in thinking it would be odd that the person who was kicked off the property is the one who blocks the other person.

It’s entirely possible that the mother left for other reasons and Martell has only told part or a completely different reason.

In my opinion it does appear that the mother’s family has been tightly controlling what is going on on their side. Doesn’t mean she is innocent or guilty.

- Unrelated, has anyone heard Martell mention his other child yet aside from when talking about the morning of. I may have missed it if he has. He has mentioned looking for the step children for the rest of his life but as of right now with the mother blocking him he’s also lost his real child too and not mentioned it. It could mean he feels the child is safe with the mother. It could also just be self serving in that he’s trying to walk a fine line in not saying anything that would lead to the mother speaking out to defend herself and implicate him.

I have strong opinions about which things I believe are true but I will keep that to myself.

 

[tlcya]

I genuinely think it is just an accident. I think people are dwelling on the argument too much (what young couple hasn't argued before?) and I can't imagine the guilt of the parents that this happened while they were arguing.

There is also a discussion on CBC with a criminal expert who goes over some of the data, and he says in the database, only 0.3% of wilderness searches like this one end up being criminal in nature (vs. 4% of urban searches).

Just considering the area, and the young age of the missing children, it just makes sense to me they got lost and the parents are now grieving that. Statistically, it also seems unlikely that they are responsible.

Here is the Q&A with the expert if you guys are interested, it goes into much greater depth:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/missing-person-expert-lansdowne-station-search-1.7531338

yes, this was an interesting interview.

 

[Ontario Mom]

What exactly do you disagree with? If the kids didn't close the door, the only alternative that ends up with it being closed is that someone else must have closed it. As I said, I don't have an opinion about whether they remembered to close it that day or if someone else closed it, so I'm not sure what I wrote in my post that you're disagreeing with.

You stated "the only alternative that assumes the stepdad is being truthful is that an adult (a 3rd party, for example) closed it behind them."

I disagree with that, since there is another alternative that assumes the stepdad is being truthful, and that is that the kids closed it themselves.

 

[Rosegold68]

Or the wind blew the door shut?

 

[tlcya]

What exactly do you disagree with? If the kids didn't close the door, the only alternative that ends up with it being closed is that someone else must have closed it. As I said, I don't have an opinion about whether they remembered to close it that day or if someone else closed it, so I'm not sure what I wrote in my post that you're disagreeing with.

Perhaps, having already been cautioned about being quiet and not waking the baby and being bored and stir crazy with being cooped up and quiet they actually did remember this time to close the sliding door behind them. Just because they often forgot doesn't mean it is impossible they closed it on this occasion.

I do agree that IF the kids did not close the door then it was never open, or someone else closed it.

 

[tlcya]

Or the wind blew the door shut?

The door the children are believed to have exited the trailer home from was the sliding glass door on the left in this image.

 

[Snoop Sister]

I've been following this as a Canadian, and from everything I've read it sounds like an accident plain and simple. I don't know how many of you have been to Truro, Nova Scotia, but I have family property in Cape Breton and we always drive through this community (and stopped there once overnight).

It's small-town Nova Scotia, which is to say it is very rural. Their house opens directly into wilderness. It makes total sense that these kids just wandered off while their parents were distracted. I grew up on a similar property in rural Ontario with my younger brother, and we were always roaming around the woods.

The kids have been missing a while, in the woods during spring when it can get incredibly cold at night here in Canada. The wilderness is not a safe place here, and that might be contributing to any finality from parents, relatives, or the police.

Welcome to websleuths fellow Canadian.
Although I don’t live in Nova Scotia, I have visited the area. And, I agree some houses do open up directly to the wilderness. However, in this situation, I personally do not think that Lily and Jack just wandered off. And, as indicated this is my personal opinion and at this point it just doesn’t make perfect sense to me. In fact, not much is making sense.

The best of Canada’s search and rescue crews in conjunction with well trained RCMPs, search attempts have proven futile. The RCMP have doubled back and are searching closer to their home, which may be more fruitful, but I honestly don’t know. The lake was scoured yesterday, and no evidence of Lily and Jack.

I agree with you regarding the finality perspective but to me it is not the weather or the woods, which is contributing to my perception. I do think someone knows something and I hope they will have the personal strength to share what they know.

And again, this is my opinion and perceptions only.

 

[appleatcha]

You stated "the only alternative that assumes the stepdad is being truthful is that an adult (a 3rd party, for example) closed it behind them."

I disagree with that, since there is another alternative that assumes the stepdad is being truthful, and that is that the kids closed it themselves.

Oh, in that case, you just took my post out of context. If you read the post I was replying to and the post that person was replying to, you'll see that we're in complete agreement!

 

[wvmoonangel]

Welcome to websleuths fellow Canadian.
Although I don’t live in Nova Scotia, I have visited the area. And, I agree some houses do open up directly to the wilderness. However, in this situation, I personally do not think that Lily and Jack just wandered off. And, as indicated this is my personal opinion and at this point it just doesn’t make perfect sense to me. In fact, not much is making sense.

The best of Canada’s search and rescue crews in conjunction with well trained RCMPs, search attempts have proved futile. The RCMP have doubled back and are searching closer to their home, which may be more fruitful, but I honestly don’t know. The lake was scoured yesterday, and no evidence of Lily and Jack.

I agree with you regarding the finality perspective but to me it is not the weather or the woods, which is contributing to my perception. I do think someone knows something and I hope they will have the personal strength to share what they know.

And again, this is my opinion and perceptions only.

Have they executed a search warrant for the homes and camper yet? I don't like the backstory at all cause none of it makes a bit of sense.

 

[Snoop Sister]

Have they executed a search warrant for the homes and camper yet? I don't like the backstory at all cause none of it makes a bit of sense.

Not that the RCMP have officially indicated regarding a home/property search warrant. But, if one hasn’t been executed I am sure it will be. There was some rumbling about it on sm.
I am not particularly getting the back story either.

 

[303gmf]

Or the wind blew the door shut?

Sliders slide only right or left

 

[FansBlowing]

Police only need a search warrant if the owner does not give permission. Here, Daniel has given the police access to everything - his home, his phone, etc.

 

[JDG]

I've been following this as a Canadian, and from everything I've read it sounds like an accident plain and simple. I don't know how many of you have been to Truro, Nova Scotia, but I have family property in Cape Breton and we always drive through this community (and stopped there once overnight).

It's small-town Nova Scotia, which is to say it is very rural. Their house opens directly into wilderness. It makes total sense that these kids just wandered off while their parents were distracted. I grew up on a similar property in rural Ontario with my younger brother, and we were always roaming around the woods.

The kids have been missing a while, in the woods during spring when it can get incredibly cold at night here in Canada. The wilderness is not a safe place here, and that might be contributing to any finality from parents, relatives, or the police.

^^^This!!!

Just wanted to add that in this sort of area, children are often more ‘free range’ than they might be in suburbia or in a city.

To go exploring with one’s brother/sister would be totally normal esp if parents are busy.

I have no idea what has happened but I do know about kiddies wandering off.

They usually come home when hungry or if they need something or get bored.

Still hoping they are found cold and hungry but okay.


My other thought is that the police have other information and reasons to stop searching.

This breaks my heart.

 

[Snoop Sister]

Police only need a search warrant if the owner does not give permission. Here, Daniel has given the police access to everything - his home, his phone, etc.

Agreed Daniel did. But, for legal reasons and intense searches, RCMP will have/get the needed search warrants

 

[Ontario Mom]

Oh, in that case, you just took my post out of context. If you read the post I was replying to and the post that person was replying to, you'll see that we're in complete agreement!

My apologies for misreading.

 

[Sarahlou]

I still don't for a second think these kids wandered off. Not a trace of them to be found after 8 days? Very unlikely IMO.

 

[branmuffin]

It speaks of a finality of their absence, a certainty that they won't be found, which is unusual at this stage of a missing child investigation.

MOO

I'm not sure if his absolutism is about the fact they won't be found alive or the fact they are missing in a very challenging environment.

 

[AIGT]

There is a new article from the globe with a timeline. This one has the mother leaving a search and rescue briefing that was not at the property midway through to sit in an ambulance and that is the last time Martell saw her.

I will follow up with the article in another message to bypass the paywall

A lot of new info in this -



Two Nova Scotia children are missing. Here’s a timeline of key events since the siblings vanished


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[Dpdan]

I wonder if "her family thinks I did it" is not about direct harm, but could be more of a 'causing or allowing' because he hadn't got out of bed, or if he told Lily to keep away, for example?

 

[jillybean51]

jillybean51 sorry I missed my opportunity to reply to what you wrote on the last thread -
“In my area of Nova Scotia, the school must be notified by 8 , by the parent, if a child will not be attending school that day.”

***
So I wonder if and when the school was notified the children would be absent the Thursday
and Friday?

It strikes me that we likely don’t know even a quarter of investigative details that could potentially prove significant.

On the Friday they would have had to get up and call the school.If not, the school would call them.I live in a different school district, but wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a province wide rule.