Missing N.S. kids: Reward of up to $150,000 being offered to anyone with information
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.
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.
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.
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.
In an interview published on Wednesday, the children’s paternal grandmother opened up about what happened.
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.
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.
“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.”
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.
Gray learned about the children’s disappearance after receiving a call from a relative. She then texted Brooks-Murray, who said they were, in fact, missing.
“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.
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.
Since then, the ongoing investigation has included extensive searches of the home where the children lived and went missing from, the grounds, outbuildings and nearby septic systems, wells, mineshafts and culverts, the RCMP said in a news release . Officers have also searched areas around a nearby pipeline, where a boot print was previously located .
“My heart tells me these babies are gone,” Gray 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.”
Gray said she and her son, who lives with her, were both questioned by police.
They are included in the 54 people who police have formally interviewed, which for some, involved a polygraph test. Police have also collected hundreds of hours of video footage from the Landsdowne Station area.
Martell, the children’s stepfather, told CBC News that he took a polygraph test. He said he was asked outright if he killed the children and added that he was “extremely nervous.” He said he had offered to take the test and even encouraged police to search the property early on. He was told by an officer that he passed the test, CBC reported.
He also told the CBC that there “is more evidence than what the public knows,” although he was not permitted to “elaborate” more.
He confirmed that Lilly’s blanket was found on the first day of the search, although police have not yet released that information. It was discovered near a bootprint in the area of the pipeline, Martell said.
Both CTV News and CBC reported that the bootprint appeared to be child-sized.
Meanwhile, authorities continue to look into the children’s disappearance.
“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,” said investigation lead Cpl. Sandy Matharu from the Northeast Nova RCMP Major Crime Unit.
“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.”
Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.