Missing Nova Scotia siblings' grandmother reveals family secrets as mom stays silent
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.
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