23/08/2025
𝗡𝗲𝘄𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗦𝘂𝗹𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗻
Newly obtained records are shedding light on how RCMP investigators have worked behind the scenes to trace the movements of the children’s mother, Malehya Brooks-Murray, and her then-boyfriend, Daniel Martell, in the hours and days leading up to May 2, when 6-year-old Lilly and 4-year-old Jack vanished from their rural home in Lansdowne Station.
The redacted files include 12 record-access orders and outline the investigative steps taken under the Missing Persons Act.
𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀::
• Electronic and financial tracking: Police obtained data from phones, GPS devices, call logs, chat logs, email accounts, and bank transactions belonging to Brooks-Murray and Martell to verify their accounts of events.
• App data: Investigators accessed Brooks-Murray’s TextPlus Wi-Fi calling app after she deleted it in early July.
• Surveillance evidence: RCMP collected camera footage from the Cobequid Pass toll plaza between May 1 and May 3 to confirm whether the children may have left Nova Scotia. The last confirmed sighting of Jack and Lilly was on May 1 at 2:25 p.m. at a Dollarama in New Glasgow.
• Polygraph testing: Both Brooks-Murray and Martell underwent separate polygraphs on May 12 and passed. Over the following weeks, several relatives also took polygraphs, including the children’s biological father Cody Sullivan (truthful), their grandmother Cyndy Brooks-Murray, and her boyfriend Wade Paris (both passed). Martell’s mother, Janie MacKenzie, was also tested, but her results were deemed “unsuitable for analysis.”
• Statements from Brooks-Murray: In interviews, she described Martell as “an involved parent” who the children respected, and denied any physical discipline in the home. Some sections of her accounts remain heavily redacted.
• Blanket evidence: Searchers located pieces of a pink LOL doll blanket, believed to belong to Lilly. One piece was found near the roadside and another in a garbage bin at the home. According to Brooks-Murray, the blanket had been torn previously and was later discarded. Martell had reportedly used it to block a draft at the door.
𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀:
• Despite the exhaustive search — which included dense forests, mine shafts, wells, waterways, helicopters, drones, and more than 100 trained volunteers — there has been no trace of the children.
• RCMP say they have received 740 public tips and over 9,300 videos, all of which are still being reviewed by major crime investigators.
• As of July 16, investigators reported they did not believe a criminal offence had occurred, but they continue to treat the disappearance as a very active investigation under the Missing Persons Act.
• RCMP spokesperson Allison Gerrard said: “The Nova Scotia RCMP is using every available resource to help locate Lilly and Jack and determine the circumstances of their disappearance. The team remains committed to exploring all possible scenarios.”
More than three months later, Jack and Lilly’s disappearance continues to devastate the community and draw national attent
