Two individuals residing near the residence of Lilly and Jack Sullivan reported to the police that they heard a vehicle moving back and forth in the middle of the night just before the Nova Scotia children were declared missing, according to court records. However, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) stated on Monday that after a comprehensive examination of surveillance footage in the Gairloch Road region of Pictou County, there was no indication of any vehicle activity during that period.
RCMP communications advisor Allison Gerrard mentioned in an email to CBC that no driver had been identified, and the presence of a vehicle had not been confirmed as a significant aspect of the investigation, despite witnesses reporting hearing a vehicle but not seeing one. These new revelations from witnesses are outlined in redacted documents that were previously disclosed in August following requests from CBC News, The Canadian Press, and The Globe and Mail. Recent details of the case were later revealed after CBC News pushed for the removal of some redactions.
The documents include applications submitted by investigators to acquire authorization for searches related to phone records, banking records, and video footage concerning the case. They also contain unverified statements made by the police. On the morning of May 2, Lilly, 6, and Jack, 4, were reported missing by their mother Malehya Brooks-Murray, who informed the police that they had wandered away from their home in Lansdowne Station, situated approximately 140 kilometers northeast of Halifax.
The siblings resided on the property with their mother, stepfather Daniel Martell, the couple’s one-year-old daughter, and Martell’s mother. Subsequently, Brad Wong, a resident living nearby, reported to two constables that he heard a “loud vehicle” moving to and fro in the early hours of May 2 in the vicinity of Highway 289, near Gairloch Road and Lansdowne Station Road. He mentioned observing vehicle lights over the treetops from his elevated position.
Justin Smith, another local resident, informed authorities that he heard a car near the same area turning around by the railroad tracks during the early hours of May 2. Smith was on Facebook around 1:30 a.m. when he noticed the car’s movements. The records also detailed Martell’s recollection of the evening before the children went missing, indicating that he retired to bed early and didn’t wake until the following morning. Brooks-Murray mentioned to the police that she put the children to bed before herself around 9 p.m., and Martell stayed up to clean the house, although it was not tidy upon her awakening.
Martell clarified in a phone interview that no one from the family left the property that night, and they did not receive any visitors. The only vehicle that left the premises was Murray-Brooks’ SUV on the morning the children went missing when he went searching for them. The RCMP did not inquire about the vehicle’s movements with Martell.
The RCMP stated that as of July 16, the children’s disappearance was not believed to be a criminal act. Interviews with Malehya Brooks-Murray’s relative Darin Geddes revealed speculations that she might have been involved in the children’s disappearance and that he possibly knew the children’s whereabouts. Geddes was confrontational and evasive during his interactions with the police, seeking information about the investigation.
Furthermore, Geddes shared similar theories during an interview with CBC News, but the veracity of the information could not be validated. The disappearance of the children in May prompted an extensive search operation covering 8.5 square kilometers of dense terrain involving around 160 search and rescue volunteers, service dogs, drones, and helicopters. Despite ongoing investigations, the case remains under the Missing Persons Act and is not classified as a criminal case. The lack of answers surrounding the case has attracted global attention.
