As the search for missing siblings Lilly and Jack Sullivan enters its third week, officials have returned to the area surrounding the home where the children were last seen.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said in a press release issued Friday afternoon that they “will focus on specific areas around Gairloch Rd. in an effort to locate Lilly and Jack and advance the investigation.”
The new search efforts started Saturday, a little over a week since authorities pulled out of the area following days of unsuccessful ground and air search operations that included up to 160 trained volunteer searchers scouring nearly three and a half miles, RCMP said.
The National Post reported this week that the RCMP had received more than 180 tips and identified 35 people to interview.
Ground search and rescue teams, the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association, and the RCMP will all be on sight as the search resumes Saturday.
Newsweek has reached out to the RCMP for further comment by email on Saturday.
Why It Matters
It has been 15 days since the children were first reported missing and searchers began combing the area. There was heavy search and rescue presence from May 2 until the search was scaled back on May 7, to search more specific areas that had been identified by authorities.
RCMP’s Underwater Recovery Team (URT) also searched through bodies of water in the surrounding area on May 8 and 9 but did not find anything, RCMP’s press release said.
What To Know
Jack, 4, and Lilly, 6, who are members of the Sipekne’katik First Nation, were originally believed to have slipped out of their house into the rural, forested terrain through the back sliding door as the children’s mother and stepfather were with their baby.
The RCMP previously stated during the investigation that all missing persons cases “are treated as suspicious until our investigation leads us to determine otherwise.”
However, police have not said anything further about the investigation, named any suspects, or even said what they believe has happened to the children.
Lilly and Jack’s stepfather Daniel Martell told the CBC in an on-camera interview last week that he and his wife, Malehya Brooks-Murray, were fully cooperating with the efforts of law enforcement.
“They searched every rock, every root. Everything,” Martell said. “I’ve been giving them every detail, everything from my bank account statements to all the information that came off my Google maps.”
According to reporting from the National Post, Martell said Jack and Lilly have undiagnosed autism and they don’t typically stray far from home.
Martell has since been told by police not to give any updates during the investigation, according to CBC.
What People Are Saying
Malehya Brooks-Murray, the children’s mother, previously told CTV: “I just want to remain hopeful, but there’s always in a mother’s mind, you’re always thinking the worst.”
Daniel Robert Martell, the children’s stepfather, told the National Post of the morning they went missing: “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.”
Michael Arntfield, a criminologist at Western University in London, Ontario, told the CBC: “This case, when you overlay it on a hundred other missing children cases, it just doesn’t add up at many levels.”
Former homicide investigator Steve Ryan told CTV on Thursday: “The story that the mom and the stepdad have provided to the police, was that they woke up and the kids were gone. Given that there is no witness to what happened, that leaves a very gaping hole in this investigation.”
Sipekne’katik First Nation wrote on Facebook May 6: “We encourage community members to come together to support one another. Whether through sharing helpful information, providing emotional support, or participating in awareness efforts, every action counts. Let’s continue to keep Jack and Lily close in our hearts and minds as we navigate this challenging time together.”
What Happens Next?
The RCMP says they will continue to focus in on certain areas surrounding the home.
The public is asked to stay away from the area as officials continue to search.
Anyone who has information about the missing children should call the Pictou County District RCMP at 902-485-4333. To provide tips anonymously, contact Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submit a secure tip online at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca or use the P3 Tips mobile app.
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