Latest news with #MalehyaBrooksMurray
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
11-06-2025
- National Post
'All scenarios are being considered,' RCMP say, as search continues for missing N.S. siblings
Article content Mounties have also obtained search warrants 'to seize and examine materials and devices that may provide information useful to the investigation,' it said. Article content '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,' Cpl. Sandy Matharu, investigation lead with the Northeast Nova RCMP Major Crime Unit, said in the release. '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.' Article content Daniel Robert Martell, who identifies as the children's stepfather, told The Chronicle Herald earlier last month that he and the children's mother, Malehya Brooks-Murray, last heard Jack and Lily on the morning of May 2, as they lay in bed with their baby. Article content 'The sun was already up and Lily came into the (bedroom),' said Martell. Article content 'She had a pink shirt on. We could hear Jackie in the kitchen. A few minutes later we didn't hear them so I went out to check. The sliding door was closed. Their boots were gone.' Article content Article content Martell said when they noticed the two children were missing May 2, he immediately jumped in the car and searched neighbouring roads, looking in culverts. By the time he returned home, the RCMP were there, having been called by the children's mother. Article content Martell is not Jack and Lily's father. He's been Brooks-Murray's partner for three years, though after the children disappeared she reportedly left him and the county with their baby and is staying with family. Article content Martell has said that he had been working with Northeast Nova Major Crime, had provided the RCMP with his cellphone and had agreed to take a lie detector test. Martell told CBC he passed that test, so 'you really can't point fingers at me anymore.' Article content On the weekend after they vanished, Brooks-Murray told CTV that Jack and Lilly are not typically the type of children who would go outside on their own. 'I just want to remain hopeful, but there's always in a mother's mind, you're always thinking the worst,' Brooks-Murray said at the time. Article content Article content A large scale-ground search began immediately after the children were reported missing. Hundreds of volunteers, multiple dogs, drones, an underwater recovery team and several aircraft scoured a heavily wooded 5.5-square-kilometre area before search efforts were scaled back on May 7. Article content Several additional searches have taken place since, many of them on weekends. Article content 'The terrain here in Nova Scotia is very rugged in that area,' Tremblay said. Article content On Wednesday, Mounties said the information they have gathered to this point has not identified new search areas. Article content Police want anyone with information on the whereabouts of the missing children to call the Northeast Nova RCMP Major Crime Unit at 902-896-5060. To remain anonymous, contact Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers, toll-free, at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submit a secure web tip at or use the P3 Tips app. Article content
National Post
05-06-2025
- National Post
Stepfather of missing N.S. kids reportedly says mother's grief worsening due to online speculation
Article content Daniel Martell, the stepfather of missing Nova Scotia children, four-year-old Jack and six-year-old Lilly Sullivan, says their mother's grief is worsening due to online speculation about the case, according to CTV News. Article content Despite a methodical search over the last weekend, 'searchers haven't uncovered anything of significance to the investigation,' Corp. Guillaume Tremblay told National Post on Thursday. Article content Article content 'Any future searches will be determined based on the course of the investigation. RCMP officers from various teams are fully engaged in finding out what happened to Lilly and Jack and we're using all tools and resources to determine the circumstances of their disappearance,' he said. Article content Article content Article content The children were reported missing more than a month ago from their rural home in Pictou County, where they lived with Martell, their mother Malehya Brooks-Murray, and the couple's baby, Meadow. Even with ongoing searches and following up on 355 tips as of late May, authorities still have not found any concrete leads. The lack of evidence has led many people on social media to come up with conspiracy theories about how the children disappeared, which the stepfather says is making the situation worse. Article content 'It doesn't get any easier. One month has passed,' Martell told CTV News. 'Don't attack Maleyha because her mental health is going to be reflected on our daughter, so I don't want anyone attacking Maleyha anymore.' Article content Martell, who attended a vigil for the children held on June 2, said Brooks-Murray's grief was overwhelming and was made worse by speculation. Article content The vigil was held in Stellarton, a town in Pictou County. A video of the solemn event posted on Facebook showed Martell lighting two paper lanterns and letting them float off into the sky. Article content Candlelight vigil for Lilly and Jack Sullivan ❤️💙 Posted by Kimberly Brown on Monday, June 2, 2025 Article content Article content Meanwhile, volunteer organization Halifax Search and Rescue said that scammers may be impersonating the group on fundraising site, GoFundMe. The fake campaign said it has a goal of reaching $100,000 to buy a drone to help with the search for the Sullivan siblings. Article content However, Halifax Search and Rescue director Paul Service said his group doesn't normally request donations through GoFundMe and doesn't base its campaigns on particular searches. Service says a representative from GoFundMe contacted him to say it was taking down the site and investigating after the campaign was reported on CBC.
The Guardian
07-05-2025
- The Guardian
Canadian police scale back search for two children missing in woods for six days
Nearly a week after two young children went missing in rural Nova Scotia, Canadian police say they are beginning to scale back search efforts given the 'low' odds the children are still alive – and that they are not ruling out the possibility of foul play. Since Friday, more than 160 searchers with drones and canine units have scoured the thickly forested region of Pictou county in search of Lily Sullivan, six, and Jack Sullivan, four. The siblings were reported missing on 2 May, when police received a frantic phone call from the family. Their mother, Malehya Brooks-Murray, and stepfather, Daniel Martell, have told local media they were sleeping with their 16-month-old baby on Friday morning as the older children played in the house. But when they awoke later in the morning, the two children were gone. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) proceeded under the belief the children, members of the Mi'kmaq First Nation community of Sipekne'katik, wandered off from their home and probably entered a heavily forested area. Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Staff Sgt Curtis MacKinnon said that dozens of searchers were being ordered to stand down and confirmed that the RCMP's major crime unit had been involved in the investigation since 3 May. MacKinnon said all missing persons files 'are treated as suspicious until our investigation leads us to determine otherwise'. He said teams were left with fewer areas to search after after combing through kilometres of unforgiving terrain. 'We're not packing up and we're not giving up.' The disappearance of the children has shaken both the province and the country. And despite a boot print that pushed search teams in one direction, police said there is very little evidence suggesting the children are in the forest. 'I want to assure you that our missing persons investigation continues,' MacKinnon said. 'Many of us have children of our own and want nothing more than to reunite Lily and Jack with their loved ones.' Sgt Robert McCamon said that hopes have dimmed, given the poor weather and length of time the children have been missing. 'The likelihood they're alive right now is very low,' he said. The Globe and Mail reported that Martell was interviewed by police for four hours, as they requested he walk them through both the day of the children's disappearance and the days leading up to the incident. He also told police the children had not been in school in the days prior to their disappearance. 'My story has been consistent. When you tell the truth it's always consistent,' he told the Globe. He told CTV Atlantic that he had been conducting his own search since the children went missing. 'Hardly any evidence at all since the first day. It's mind-boggling that nothing else was found,' he said.
Daily Mail
07-05-2025
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Haunting update in hunt for siblings aged four and six who vanished into wilds of Nova Scotia
Police in Canada have announced they are dialing back the search for two young children who vanished from their home last week. Jack Sullivan, 4, and his sister Lily, 6, were last seen about 10am on Friday on a road close to their home in Lansdowne Station, Nova Scotia. Their parents believe the kids went out a sliding back door of the family's home while stepfather Daniel Martell and mother Malehya Brooks-Murray fed their baby. At a press conference on Wednesday, Staff Sgt. Curtis MacKinnon said the search for two is now being scaled back. MacKinnon added 'we're not packing up and we're not giving up', saying that all missing persons files remained 'suspicious until our investigation leads us to determine otherwise'. 'Many of us have children of our own and want nothing more than to reunite Lily and Jack with their loved ones', he added. Brooks-Murray last week begged for their safe return in an emotional TV interview after searching the neighborhood for them. 'I'm just staying as hopeful as possible,' she told CTV News in an emotional interview. 'I want them home. I want to hold them, and I want them home. When they're found it will be the biggest relief to hug them.' Brooks-Murray explained that she and Martell thought the children were playing, and they sneaked 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 on Sunday that he was frightened the children were taken by a stranger.
