Police remain silent as Nova Scotia missing kids investigation hits Week 3
It now marks three weeks since two young siblings were reported missing from their home in a rural part of Nova Scotia, and police have remained tight lipped on any indication on their whereabouts.
Lilly and Jack Sullivan, aged six and four, were reported missing on the morning of May 2 from their home on Gairloch Road in Lansdowne Station, N.S., which is about 140 kilometres northeast of Halifax.
The RCMP had previously said the siblings were believed to have 'wandered away.' They noted that there was no evidence of abduction, so it didn't qualify for an Amber Alert.
A lengthy and wide search, with upwards of 160 people, ensued that covered 5.5 square kilometres of heavily wooded, rural terrain with search dogs, helicopters and drones.
The RCMP said at a news conference on May 7 it had decided to scale back the search, saying the likelihood the children are alive is 'very low.'
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When pressed by Global News a few days later at an unrelated investigation on May 12, Cpl. Gui Tremblay with the RCMP said they had nothing new to add regarding the case of Lilly and Jack.
'I know everyone's affected by it, (and) investigators continue their hard work,' he said on May 12. 'Right now I can't provide any additional details as I don't want to jeopardize the investigation, but as soon as we have an update, we will provide information to the public.'
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The following day on May 13, police provided an update through a press release where they re-iterated their commitment to finding the siblings and said any new information will be released when it becomes available.
'We continue to work day and night on this file,' Staff Sgt. Curtis MacKinnon with Pictou County RCMP says in a statement on May 13. 'Like all Nova Scotians, we want answers, and we want to know what happened to these children.'
Police said by that date they have received more than 180 tips from the public and those are being followed up on.
As well, police said investigators have identified 35 people for formal interviews as part of the investigation. This includes community members and people closest to the children, police added.
The children's stepfather, Daniel Martell, told Global News last weekend he's thankful for the efforts of authorities and volunteers who are searching for Lilly and Jack.
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This past weekend, searchers were back out targeting specific areas around the road where the children's home is located, said RCMP.
In a Sunday update, RCMP said 115 volunteers came out on May 18 for the renewed search on the ground and in the air.
'This weekend's search will be carefully reviewed and assessed by investigators and search managers to help in planning any further ground and air search efforts,' the force said.
The disappearance has sparked rampant speculation on social media — much of it targeting Martell and the children's mother. Martell calls it all 'nonsense.'
'It will never be enough for people online. Everywhere I go, people stare. That's something I have to live with until the truth makes its way out — and the truth always makes its way out,' he said.
When asked if he had anything to do with the children's disappearance, he was adamant in his answer.
'I 100 per cent did not and I will hold that to my last day on this planet,' he said.
Martell told The Canadian Press that he had voluntarily attended a four-hour interview with major crime investigators.
It has been 21 days, or three weeks, since the children were reported missing.
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Lilly is described as having shoulder-length, light brown hair with bangs. She might be wearing a pink sweater, pink pants and pink boots. Jack has short, blond hair and was wearing blue dinosaur boots.
The RCMP are asking anyone with information on the sibling's whereabouts to contact them.
— With files from Global News' Rebecca Lau and The Canadian Press
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