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

[Andreee]

We're not talking about an infant. The child should be walking, a few words, sitting up, and eating cheerios from the high chair tray. Sixteen months old children should not be eating in bed.

Correct! I just momentarily forgot the baby's age.

 

[otto]

<modsnip: Quoted post was removed>

The only source claiming that the 16 month old child was eating in bed at 10 AM in the morning is the Dailymail. There is no other source.

The Dailymail is notorious for concocting ridiculous detailed information about Canadian crimes. If these children had disappeared in Western Canada, the Dailymail would be claiming that they vanished from the Highway of Tears. That is the level of crazy connections the Dailymail makes about Canada.

 

[byo]

Do we know if the children rode the school bus, or did an adult take them to school?

 

[Andreee]

<modsnip: Quoted post was removed>

... it is possible the baby is still being BF up til age two. I've known mothers do so even longer!

 

[otto]

The father referred to the baby as being a one year old. In terms of development, there is a huge difference between a twelve month old and a sixteen month old. Seems to be conflicting info about the baby’s age.

16 months is also one year.

"Their stepfather Daniel Martell told The Globe that the children were playing in the next room while he dozed in the bedroom with their mother, Malehya Brooks-Murray, and the couple’s 16-month-old when the children went missing.

He said he surmised they opened the sliding glass back door, put on their rubber boots and went outside, escaping from the fenced-in backyard. He said Lily took a white backpack with strawberries on it. Jack would’ve been wearing a pull-up diaper, he added."

Two young Nova Scotia children still missing from remote wooded community in Pictou County

Siblings, aged 4 and 6, believe to have wandered away from family home on Friday morning

www.theglobeandmail.com

 

[tlcya]

Do we know if the children rode the school bus, or did an adult take them to school?

good question, no clue, nothing has been published about that aspect of the children's routine

 

[agent902]

About teachers speaking out... Initially, there was a post on social media from a school volunteer. It was subsequently deleted, likely as it got pointed out that volunteers still need to maintain confidentiality. There was another social media post of a drawing done by a classmate and friend, shared by her mom. I hope mentioning them is okay, just in context of reassuring people that there are school community members who have spoken out. There's nothing specifically sleuth-y this is meant to contribute. Just a reply to an earlier comment.

The main thing I registered to contribute is on autism. In Nova Scotia the wait list for diagnostic assessment is years long. For pre-school age kids it goes by birth date, not referral date. So with shortage of services, PLUS a population increase, the list keeps getting longer. They're currently assessing kids just who are almost 5.

And that's for preschool. If you don't get referred in the preschool age bracket, once you start primary it's a separate system. The assessment is done by the school system, not the health system. But the schools are more by triage, not birthdate. Where kids with behavioural issues are more urgent than quiet kids with autism. So an autism diagnosis, especially for girls, might be a few years waiting.

I have zero specific knowledge of this family. But I would surmise based on general experience of the area and related income and demographic pressures, that they didn't have a lot of knowledge about developmental milestones. No one flagged any autism traits until they hit school. (In one of the media interviews, the mom phrased it in terms of it only affecting them keeping up in school.)

So usually teachers and parents here have an awkward year or two of presuming their kids are maybe-probably autistic. But not having the paperwork to truly own it. (And grandparents in their other ear saying "they'll grow out of it", etc.)

 

[whitelilac]

16 months is also one year.

"Their stepfather Daniel Martell told The Globe that the children were playing in the next room while he dozed in the bedroom with their mother, Malehya Brooks-Murray, and the couple’s 16-month-old when the children went missing.

He said he surmised they opened the sliding glass back door, put on their rubber boots and went outside, escaping from the fenced-in backyard. He said Lily took a white backpack with strawberries on it. Jack would’ve been wearing a pull-up diaper, he added."

Two young Nova Scotia children still missing from remote wooded community in Pictou County

Siblings, aged 4 and 6, believe to have wandered away from family home on Friday morning

www.theglobeandmail.com

Fenced in...the whole backyard is fenced in? How high? Any holes in that fence?

 

[Snoop Sister]

About teachers speaking out... Initially, there was a post on social media from a school volunteer. It was subsequently deleted, likely as it got pointed out that volunteers still need to maintain confidentiality. There was another social media post of a drawing done by a classmate and friend, shared by her mom. I hope mentioning them is okay, just in context of reassuring people that there are school community members who have spoken out. There's nothing specifically sleuth-y this is meant to contribute. Just a reply to an earlier comment.

The main thing I registered to contribute is on autism. In Nova Scotia the wait list for diagnostic assessment is years long. For pre-school age kids it goes by birth date, not referral date. So with shortage of services, PLUS a population increase, the list keeps getting longer. They're currently assessing kids just who are almost 5.

And that's for preschool. If you don't get referred in the preschool age bracket, once you start primary it's a separate system. The assessment is done by the school system, not the health system. But the schools are more by triage, not birthdate. Where kids with behavioural issues are more urgent than quiet kids with autism. So an autism diagnosis, especially for girls, might be a few years waiting.

I have zero specific knowledge of this family. But I would surmise based on general experience of the area and related income and demographic pressures, that they didn't have a lot of knowledge about developmental milestones. No one flagged any autism traits until they hit school. (In one of the media interviews, the mom phrased it in terms of it only affecting them keeping up in school.)

So usually teachers and parents here have an awkward year or two of presuming their kids are maybe-probably autistic. But not having the paperwork to truly own it. (And grandparents in their other ear saying "they'll grow out of it", etc.)

Awesome post!

 

[Seni]

About teachers speaking out... Initially, there was a post on social media from a school volunteer. It was subsequently deleted, likely as it got pointed out that volunteers still need to maintain confidentiality. There was another social media post of a drawing done by a classmate and friend, shared by her mom. I hope mentioning them is okay, just in context of reassuring people that there are school community members who have spoken out. There's nothing specifically sleuth-y this is meant to contribute. Just a reply to an earlier comment.

The main thing I registered to contribute is on autism. In Nova Scotia the wait list for diagnostic assessment is years long. For pre-school age kids it goes by birth date, not referral date. So with shortage of services, PLUS a population increase, the list keeps getting longer. They're currently assessing kids just who are almost 5.

And that's for preschool. If you don't get referred in the preschool age bracket, once you start primary it's a separate system. The assessment is done by the school system, not the health system. But the schools are more by triage, not birthdate. Where kids with behavioural issues are more urgent than quiet kids with autism. So an autism diagnosis, especially for girls, might be a few years waiting.

I have zero specific knowledge of this family. But I would surmise based on general experience of the area and related income and demographic pressures, that they didn't have a lot of knowledge about developmental milestones. No one flagged any autism traits until they hit school. (In one of the media interviews, the mom phrased it in terms of it only affecting them keeping up in school.)

So usually teachers and parents here have an awkward year or two of presuming their kids are maybe-probably autistic. But not having the paperwork to truly own it. (And grandparents in their other ear saying "they'll grow out of it", etc.)

Great insight, thank you for the info!

 

[branmuffin]

Yes, they have a fenced in yard.

Every image I've seen of Martel he's in front of a white trailer on Gairloch Road. The google earth image via the street view is from 2018 and does not show a fence around the yard, especially the frontage facing the road which is par for the course in rural environments. I'm also wondering if his brother and mother live in the trailer you see from the road. In the aerial view of the property from 2025 you see the white trailer and what appears to be several outbuildings behind it and one that could be a smaller home so I'm not sure if that's the one Martel lived in with the mother of the three kids which is closer to the bush.

 

[otto]

Statement from Mom:
CTV News Video

I'm a bit confused. They know that the children were playing outside, but they weren't aware of it, and then they realized that the children were quiet, so they went outside to look for them.

When my children were too quiet I knew they were into mischief and I would check their bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen first. They might be quietly stirring the ingredients to make cookies into the sink, or giving each other ultramodern hair cuts.

"What happened was that we woke up I heard them playing in the next room beside us and I was drifting in and out of sleep, and they're not the type of kids that we tell them not to go outside on their own. We always make sure that we're out there with them, watching them, then they happened to just get out that sliding door and we can't hear it when it opens and they were outside playing, but we weren't aware of it at the time and the next thing we knew the [lurt-unknown] like it was quiet and we get up and I tell him, my partner, Daniel, I tell him "do you hear the kids" and he says "no" and we get up instantly, we're looking outside, we're looking everywhere, yelling for them and I instantly just called 911, as j-unknown I had the instinct I need to call."

 

[otto]

Fenced in...the whole backyard is fenced in? How high? Any holes in that fence?

I don't believe that the house or yard were fenced-in in the sense of a gated enclosed fence. I can't see anything to support that in any of the media photos that have been released. However, I do believe that there is a post and wire fence around the property.

Google Map

CBC

 

[ApartoftheNarrative]

I suppose so! I had not really thought of the baby's age.

I don’t usually reply to threads like this but I think I can be of help here. Delete if not allowed, of course.

A child of 16 months old should be able to walk and sit in a high chair or booster seat to eat solid meals. After 12 months of age, breast milk or formula is no longer the primary source of nutrition. Children after 12 months of age unless otherwise told by a doctor should be eating 3 meals a day with at least 2 snacks between them. Cows milk, toddler formula, or breast milk can be offered but should not be a child’s entire diet at that age. Source: I’m a licensed Early Childhood/ Child Development Focused Educator with a focus in ages of 0-3. This child isn’t even really a “baby” anymore, but a toddler. I think MSM needs to correct the wording there as it is causing some misunderstanding.

Also regarding keeping two children home for one’s cough: I have see this happen at my own center when I was still working as a teacher. If one child was sick (especially in pre-kindergarten and below) parents often kept both children home as it was “easier” to not have to come pick up or drop off the other one. It also, in my mind, helped prevent any possible illness spreading to other rooms. Again, all my experiance on this one, but that statement alone does not bother me.

Still praying for the best for these two cutie pies, yet sitting here reading this thread each day with a pit in my stomach.

 

[AcerPacer]

About teachers speaking out... Initially, there was a post on social media from a school volunteer. It was subsequently deleted, likely as it got pointed out that volunteers still need to maintain confidentiality. There was another social media post of a drawing done by a classmate and friend, shared by her mom. I hope mentioning them is okay, just in context of reassuring people that there are school community members who have spoken out. There's nothing specifically sleuth-y this is meant to contribute. Just a reply to an earlier comment.

The main thing I registered to contribute is on autism. In Nova Scotia the wait list for diagnostic assessment is years long. For pre-school age kids it goes by birth date, not referral date. So with shortage of services, PLUS a population increase, the list keeps getting longer. They're currently assessing kids just who are almost 5.

And that's for preschool. If you don't get referred in the preschool age bracket, once you start primary it's a separate system. The assessment is done by the school system, not the health system. But the schools are more by triage, not birthdate. Where kids with behavioural issues are more urgent than quiet kids with autism. So an autism diagnosis, especially for girls, might be a few years waiting.

I have zero specific knowledge of this family. But I would surmise based on general experience of the area and related income and demographic pressures, that they didn't have a lot of knowledge about developmental milestones. No one flagged any autism traits until they hit school. (In one of the media interviews, the mom phrased it in terms of it only affecting them keeping up in school.)

So usually teachers and parents here have an awkward year or two of presuming their kids are maybe-probably autistic. But not having the paperwork to truly own it. (And grandparents in their other ear saying "they'll grow out of it", etc.)

Exactly this!
To echo another person's post above, the words used by "stepfather" in one of his first statements were likely rushed, thinking on his feet, trying to remember every little detail all with intense pressure. His words of "a little autistic" doesn't bother me in the slightest and I am Neurodiverse! As you say here, it's likely they haven't been tested yet so how would he have been able to say "level 1 autistic" without a diagnosis? He wouldn't outright say "they are autistic" when he doesn't know if they are!
As I said in my post earlier, maybe he (or someone close) has recognised some of their own traits in the children, maybe someone at school had suggested they may be and they've been put forward for testing when they can be. Some traits of ASD don't necessarily mean one has autism... Anyone ever twirl their hair around a finger and it feels very comforting? That's a form of stimming!

 

[branmuffin]

There are rules for Amber Alerts because it affects millions of people. Too many Amber Alerts and no one will pay attention to them. Probably there must be evidence of child abduction and we do not have that here.

Martell told us yesterday morning how he searched:
"there is a dense forest and rough streams and he, himself searched 20 or 30 acres when they first went missing. “I did all around the house in the four-wheeler, ATV. I did as much as I could on the first day and the second day,” says Martell."

https://www.ckdr.net/2025/05/05/116769/#

How can you search 20 or 30 acres in an hour? He said the kids appeared missing around 9 am Friday and the RCMP arrived around 10 am the same day. Is he sure he got the day right? When did LE tell him to stop searching? Was he included in the searches the first two days and then they asked him not to search anymore? I think there's a reason LE asked him to stop searching.

 

[otto]

The children are not in the surrounding forest, so what happened to them?

 

[IzzyBlanche]

How can you search 20 or 30 acres in an hour? He said the kids appeared missing around 9 am Friday and the RCMP arrived around 10 am the same day. Is he sure he got the day right? When did LE tell him to stop searching? Was he included in the searches the first two days and then they asked him not to search anymore? I think there's a reason LE asked him to stop searching.

Bolded for focus.

I don't see this statement? Thanks.

 

[branmuffin]

This from Canadian TV

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At 2:27
"Their stepdad told us they'd both been out sick all week before disappearing on Friday."

This is from CBC news.

So the BF of mom is claiming the kids didn't go to school... Monday to Thursday- at least that's what "all week" to me means.

Has the school verified that the children were absent based on parental messaging? Most schools have procedures in place if children don't show up for school. They call the parents for verification of their absence.

 

[branmuffin]

My impression is that more information is revealed in response to online curiosity. When we learned that the mother had left the family home, and gone to stay with family, we were curious. Now we know. There was an altercation between the families at the family home, and the mother chose to leave with her family. We were curious about who else might have access to the property. Now we know that the stepfather's mother and brother live on the property.

I think the stepfather's description of his reaction to discovering that the children were missing was all over the place and out of order, but I don't think it has changed. He admitted that he told his daughter to leave them alone even though I think the parents should have got out of bed to look after the children. That must have been hard to admit. Both parents stayed in bed, so there's no reason for one to blame the other. They both messed up.

I think it's very possible that a lot of the misinformation and story changing isn't covering up a crime but a manifestation of guilt for ignoring the kids while they wanted to sleep. And then finding them gone.