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Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Missing Nova Scotia siblings' grandmother reveals family secrets as mom stays silent
Six weeks after the mysterious disappearance of two young children, their Nova Scotia grandmother believes that her 'babies are gone.' Lilly and Jack Sullivan vanished from their Lansdowne Station trailer home, located 88 miles from Halifax, on the morning of May 2, prompting an extensive search in the surrounding area, including the dense woods near their home. The siblings were last seen with family members in public on May 1, according to the National Post. Since the children went missing, authorities have received nearly 500 tips related to the case. Belynda Gray, their paternal grandmother, has since shared her heartbreak in an interview with CBC News, revealing secrets of her fraught relationship with the children's mother. Gray's son, Cody Sullivan, is the biological father of six-year-old Lilly and four-year-old Jack. Gray explained that Cody and the children's mother, Malehya Brooks-Murray, had been in a relationship for about three years before the children's mother decided to end it, citing 'relationship problems.' She claims they were already in little to no contact and was unable to see them for two years after her son and ex daughter-in-law broke up. Now she fears she will never see six-year-old Lilly or four-year-old Jack again. 'My heart tells me these babies are gone,' she told CBC. 'I just want them back. These are everybody's grandchildren. They're not just mine now. It does seem like the whole world cares.' While the investigation continues, the children's mother has stopped speaking publicly, citing police advice not to no longer engage with the media. Following Brooks-Murray's estrangement from the children's biological father, she sought sole custody of the children. Her decision prompted Cody to withdraw from the situation entirely, Gray said. 'When she did that, he said that he was done. He just didn't want any part of it,' Gray told CBC, adding that Brooks-Murray had also confided in her that she 'wasn't happy.' Despite the strained relationship between the parents, the devoted grandmother maintained a strong bond with Brooks-Murray at first. She said the children would often visit her whenever she asked. However, that changed when Brooks-Murray moved in with her new boyfriend, Daniel Martell, who shares a young daughter with Brooks-Murray. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has conducted thorough searches of the home, surrounding grounds, outbuildings, septic systems, wells, mineshafts, and culverts, according to police. Gray and her son Cody have both been questioned by police, as part of a broader investigation that has formally interviewed 54 people, some of whom were subjected to polygraph tests. Martell, the children's stepfather, also underwent a polygraph test and spoke to CBC News about the ordeal. He revealed that police had directly asked him whether he was responsible for the children's deaths, adding that he felt 'extremely nervous.' Martell said he had volunteered to take the test and had even encouraged authorities to search his property early in the investigation. An officer later informed him that he passed the polygraph test, he told the Canadian news outlet. Martell also hinted that there was 'more evidence than what the public knows,' but said he was not allowed to provide further details. He also confirmed that Lilly's blanket had been found on the first day of the search, although this information had not yet been released by police. The blanket was reportedly discovered near a child-sized boot print in the pipeline area. Authorities remain dedicated to uncovering the truth behind Lilly and Jack's disappearance. Sandy Matharu, the lead investigator from the Northeast Nova RCMP Major Crime Unit, emphasized the careful and thorough approach being taken. 'We're accessing, evaluating, and analyzing a significant volume of information from a variety of sources. We have a very coordinated and deliberate approach to make certain all information is meticulously scrutinized, prioritized, and actioned to ensure nothing is missed,' Matharu said. 'We're committed to doing what is necessary to locate Lilly and Jack and advance the investigation, which may take longer than we all hoped.' Brooks-Murray and Martell believe the kids went out a sliding back door of the family's home while they fed their baby. Police are reportedly working on the assumption that the children, who are both autistic, wandered off, but their stepdad said he feared they may have been abducted. Brooks-Murray explained that she and Martell thought the children were playing, and they snuck away the short time the couple were occupied. 'We always make sure that we're out there with them, watching them, and they happen to just get out that sliding door, and we can't hear it when it opens,' she said. 'They were outside playing, but we weren't aware of it at the time, and the next thing we knew it was quiet. 'We get up and look outside. We're looking everywhere, yelling for them, and I instantly just called 911. I just had the instinct I needed to call.' Brooks-Murray said her children may have mild autism but were friendly, contrary to rumors online claiming they were non-verbal. 'They're both really happy-go-lucky children. They're so sweet. They talk to anyone. They'll talk your ear off. They will speak to anyone in a store, everyone. They're just extremely sweet kids,' she said. The distraught mother questioned why an Amber Alert wasn't issued, but police said there was no reason to believe they were abducted. Martell told CBC News that he was frightened the children were taken by a stranger. A reward of up to $150,000 (Canadian funds) is being offered by the Nova Scotia Department of Justice to anyone with information about the disappearance of Lilly and Jack.
National Post
a day ago
- National Post
Missing N.S. kids: Reward of up to $150,000 being offered to anyone with information
Article content A reward of up to $150,000 is being offered by the Nova Scotia Department of Justice to anyone with information about the disappearance of Lilly and Jack Sullivan. Article content It has been 'felt across the province and beyond, and my heart goes out to the family, the community and everyone who has been working to find these children since day one,' said Attorney General and Minister of Justice Becky Druhan in a news release on Thursday. Article content Article content The reward is payable in Canadian funds and will be apportioned as deemed just by Druhan as the minister of justice. Law enforcement and correctional agency employees are not eligible for the reward. Article content Article content On the morning of May 2, Lilly and Jack disappeared from their Lansdowne Station home in rural Nova Scotia. There have been extensive ongoing searches in the area, especially in the thick woods near the property where they lived. As of mid-June, police said they had received 488 tips in the case. According to authorities, the siblings were last seen with family in public on May 1. Article content In an interview published on Wednesday, the children's paternal grandmother opened up about what happened. Article content Belynda Gray, who spoke to CBC News, said she hasn't seen six-year-old Lilly or four-year-old Jack in almost two years. Article content Gray's son, Cody Sullivan, is the biological father of the two children. He was in a relationship with the children's mother, Malehya Brooks-Murray, for about three years, Gray said. When Brooks-Murray decided to end the relationship, she petitioned the court for sole custody, Gray told CBC. Article content Article content 'When she did that, he said that he was done. He just didn't want no part of it,' said Gray, who also said that Brooks-Murray told her they were 'having problems and she wasn't happy.' Article content Article content The relationship between Gray and Brooks-Murray, however, remained intact. Gray said that Brooks-Murray would bring the children to visit whenever Gray asked. But those visits faded when Brooks-Murray moved in with her new boyfriend, the children's stepfather, Daniel Martell. Martell and Brooks-Murray also have an infant daughter together. Article content 'I was in a state of panic, shock, but in the back of my mind I kept saying, 'Well, they'll find them,'' said Gray. Article content She joined the search in Pictou County. She said she called out for the children, even using her nickname for Jack, 'Jackie boy.' However, after several days, police announced they were scaling back the search and would focus on specific areas.
CBC
3 days ago
- CBC
'My heart tells me these babies are gone,' says grandmother of missing N.S. children
Social Sharing Belynda Gray awoke to the sight of flashing red and blue lights as two police cars pulled into the driveway of her home in the early morning hours of May 3. She already knew why they were there. Her son, Cody Sullivan, is the biological father of two children who vanished from a rural Nova Scotia community the day before. "They come inside. They only stood in the kitchen," said Gray of the police officers who came to her home on Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore. "They wanted me to wake Cody up and they wanted to know when was the last time he had seen the kids and that they were just making sure that the kids weren't here. And then they left." WATCH | What we know so far: Disappearance of Lilly and Jack Sullivan: What we know so far 6 hours ago Duration 8:24 More than six weeks after two young children disappeared in rural Nova Scotia, police are saying very little. CBC's Kayla Hounsell speaks to family members, the RCMP and search crew members about what we know about the case so far. The previous morning, police received a 911 call reporting that Lilly Sullivan, 6, and Jack Sullivan, 4, had wandered away from their home in Lansdowne Station, a sparsely populated and heavily wooded community in Pictou County. Their disappearance sparked extensive searches that have so far turned up little evidence, as nearly a dozen RCMP units try to piece together what happened to the young siblings amid intense international interest. After watching the investigation unfold over the last six weeks, Gray has decided to share her family's story in the hopes of keeping Lilly and Jack's case in the public eye. Gray, 62, said her son was in a relationship with the children's mother, Malehya Brooks-Murray, for about three years. "I thought they were the picture-perfect family," said Gray. "Then Malehya started to tell me that they were having problems and she wasn't happy." Brooks-Murray decided to end the relationship, and Sullivan chose to walk away from the children, said Gray. Their mother petitioned the court for sole custody, she said. "When she did that, he said that he was done. He just didn't want no part of it," said Gray of her 29-year-old son, who is currently living with her after losing his construction job, apartment and vehicle nine months ago. "He hasn't seen the kids for three years." Despite the fallout, Gray wanted to maintain her own relationship with the children and Brooks-Murray had no objections. "Any time we wanted to see the kids, she'd come by for a visit. She'd bring them by all the time," Gray said. But contact between Gray and her grandchildren eventually dwindled and stopped completely after Brooks-Murray moved in with her new boyfriend, Daniel Martell, in Lansdowne Station. The last time Gray saw Lilly and Jack was nearly two years ago. WATCH | Grandmother of Jack and Lilly Sullivan speaks to CBC News: Grandmother of missing N.S. kids shares her story — and her son's 6 minutes ago Duration 8:51 On the afternoon of May 2, she received a call from a relative asking if she had heard the news about the children. Gray texted Brooks-Murray, who confirmed Lilly and Jack were missing. "I was in a state of panic, shock, but in the back of my mind I kept saying, 'Well, they'll find them,'" she said. Gray headed to Pictou County the following day to help search the dense woods that surround the home where the children were living. "I'm yelling for Lilly and Jack. We always called Jack 'Jackie boy.' His heritage is Irish," said Gray through tears, pausing to compose herself. "I started to feel that I can't see them being in the woods.… There's trees everywhere. You literally have to climb over trees, climb under bushes. It is really, really thick." Over six days, search and rescue teams combed through the forest as helicopters and drones whirred overhead. The wider ground search was scaled back on May 7, but subsequent targeted searches have taken place since then. RCMP say they have extensively searched the children's home and property as well as nearby wells, mine shafts and septic systems as well as underwater searches of lakes. Gray said she does feel the area has been extensively searched, describing the many orange and pink ribbons tied to trees to mark off areas that have been covered off. "You could see places around where they played and you could see places around where you might want to explore as a kid," she said. "But beyond those exploration points, there's no reason for any child to wander deep into the woods." For his part, Martell agrees the woods around his home have been extensively searched, adding that a drone was flown into a hatch that leads underneath his home. He said he feels investigators are doing all they can to solve the "mysterious" and "strange" case. Nevertheless, the ordeal has taken a toll on his family, attracting attention from people around the world. "My life has been ripped apart in a thousand pieces. And six weeks after, the pieces are still laying on the floor," Martell told CBC News in a recent interview. Relatives of Brooks-Murray have told CBC News she has been advised by police not to speak to media. RCMP Cpl. Guillaume Tremblay said it's "quite rare" for two children to go missing at the same time. "Investigations like this take a long time," said Tremblay in a recent interview. "They put a big toll on first responders and investigators and I can't imagine what the family's going through every day." Tremblay repeated that every missing persons investigation is considered suspicious until they have reason to believe otherwise. He said police have not uncovered any evidence to suggest the children were abducted. Gray said a few days after the children went missing, police returned to take photos of her vehicles, ask for surveillance footage and questioned her son for about 20 minutes. A few weeks later, they returned a third time, formally questioning Gray for two hours and Sullivan for an hour and a half in a police vehicle. "I didn't mind.… I wish they would have done it sooner," she said. "My son was a little upset about it. He said they made him feel like he did something wrong." Last week, Gray said police contacted her and said "they weren't looking his way anymore, that everything's fine." She also dispelled online rumours that her son lives in Western Canada and is in jail. Gray described Lilly as her "little dream girl." "I loved that she had the brown hair and she had a space between her teeth, which I had when I was a kid," she said. "She was our little princess." Jack, on the other hand, was sober and serious, even as a baby, she said. "You could tickle him and he would look at you ever so serious, like he was really studying you." Gray said she speaks of the children in the past tense because she does not believe they are alive. "My heart tells me these babies are gone," she said. "I just want them back.
