Lily and Jack Sullivan Mother: Malehya Brooks-Murray and Case

When six-year-old Lilly Sullivan and her four-year-old brother Jack vanished from their rural Nova Scotia home on May 2, 2025, their mother Malehya Brooks-Murray joined the search alongside RCMP investigators. Nearly a year later, 1,111 tips have come in, a $150,000 reward has been posted, and the siblings remain missing. This is what we know about the family at the center of the investigation.

Missing children: Lilly Sullivan, 6; Jack Sullivan, 4 ·
Mother’s name: Malehya Brooks-Murray ·
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada ·
Status: Still missing ·
Stepfather: Daniel Martell

Who is Lily and Jack Sullivan’s mom?

Malehya Brooks-Murray is the biological mother of six-year-old Lilly and four-year-old Jack Sullivan. She reported the children missing to RCMP on the morning of May 2, 2025, telling officers they had likely wandered away from their home near Lansdowne Station in Pictou County, Nova Scotia.

Background on Malehya Brooks-Murray

Brooks-Murray lived at the Gairloch Road residence with stepfather Daniel Martell and the children’s baby sister, Meadow. She told police early on that both Lilly and Jack might be on the autism spectrum and were known to roam, according to Global News. On May 12, 2025, both Brooks-Murray and Martell submitted to polygraph examinations conducted at the Bible Hill RCMP detachment; investigators found both truthful, per court documents reviewed by FIPA BC.

Following the disappearance, Brooks-Murray and Martell separated. She later moved in with her mother and, by early 2026, had begun participating in independent search efforts organized by family and community members. In a brief reactivation of her Facebook account, Brooks-Murray signaled renewed engagement with the case publicly.

Family living situation

The family home sat on Gairloch Road in Lansdowne Station, a rural community approximately 30 kilometres from New Glasgow and 140 kilometres north of Halifax, according to Crime Timelines. The trailer park setting meant the children had access to surrounding wooded areas. Surveillance footage from a Dollarama in Truro showed the family together on the afternoon of May 1, 2025 — the last confirmed sighting of the children before they were reported missing, Crime Timelines reported.

Who is Lily and Jack Sullivan’s birth father?

The biological father of Lilly and Jack Sullivan is named Cody Sullivan. According to Wikipedia, Cody Sullivan stated he had not seen the children for approximately three years before their disappearance. His identity and whereabouts became part of the investigation, though he has not been named as a suspect.

Known details on biological father

Within hours of reporting the children missing, Brooks-Murray called RCMP at 12:45 a.m. on May 3, 2025, suggesting Cody Sullivan may have taken the children to New Brunswick, per Crime Timelines. Officers visited the paternal grandmother between 3:00 and 3:30 a.m. that same morning. No evidence linking Cody Sullivan to the disappearance has been made public.

Stepfather role

Daniel Martell was the stepfather residing in the home. Court documents obtained by FIPA BC include Martell’s statement: “My vehicle never moved out of the yard that night. And it never moved out of that yard the following day.” Martell also submitted to polygraph testing in May 2025, which investigators deemed truthful alongside Brooks-Murray’s results, according to FIPA BC. Following the disappearance, Martell and Brooks-Murray separated.

Did they ever find the Sullivan children?

As of early 2026, nearly one year after their disappearance, Lilly and Jack Sullivan have not been found. RCMP has not identified suspects and reports no evidence of abduction or criminal offence, according to Global News.

Current status

RCMP’s Northeast Nova Scotia Major Crime Unit continues to lead the investigation. By February 2026, the force had received 1,111 tips and reviewed thousands of hours of footage, per Global News. An official RCMP update posted to YouTube reiterated the force’s appeal for factual tips grounded in evidence rather than speculation.

Search efforts

Initial search efforts mobilized quickly after the report. RCMP deployed ground crews, helicopters, drones with heat sensors, divers, and cadaver dogs, Global News reported. On May 6, 2025, FLIR drone units were deployed overnight around the residence, per Crime Timelines. The next day, an aerial helicopter search covered the forest directly behind the home, and investigators in plain clothes spoke with Martell about phone technology, Crime Timelines noted.

Have Lily and Jack Sullivan been found?

No recovery has been reported. Brooks-Murray joined an independent search effort nearly a year after the disappearance, a move that underscored both the family’s persistence and the absence of resolution from official channels alone.

Latest updates

The provincial government has posted a reward of up to $150,000 for information leading to the children’s safe return or the conviction of those responsible, Global News confirmed. RCMP has sought search warrants for phone records, banking data, and video evidence, per FIPA BC. Brooks-Murray herself provided investigators with a video of a phone conversation related to allegations about her involvement — an unproven theory that has not led to charges.

Recent search activity

Independent searches organized by family members continued through 2025 and into 2026. Brooks-Murray’s participation in these efforts — joining community volunteers combing the surrounding area — represented a notable shift from her earlier role as primary witness to active searcher, Global News reported. RCMP has maintained its position that the investigation remains active and continues to welcome public tips.

What is known about the disappearance?

On May 1, 2025, the Sullivan family was together at the Dollarama in Truro, with surveillance capturing their exit at 2:25 p.m. The children were tucked into bed by 10 p.m. that evening, per FIPA BC. By the morning of May 2, Brooks-Murray had marked both children absent from school via app at 6:15 a.m., NS News reported. Between 8:00 and 9:40 a.m., parents were in the bedroom with one-year-old Meadow; the last confirmed sounds from the children came during this window, according to Wikipedia. When Brooks-Murray checked on them sometime before 10:01 a.m., both were gone — and their boots were missing from the home.

Initial events

The report to RCMP came at 10:01 a.m. on May 2, 2025, NS News confirmed. Within hours, RCMP had mobilized ground search teams. By May 6, clothing and a water bottle were found during the search — but neither item belonged to the children, prompting family members to urge an expanded search area, Crime Timelines reported. A piece of a pink blanket identified as belonging to Lilly was later found.

Investigation timeline

RCMP issued a public update at 12:24 p.m. on May 13, 2025, per Crime Timelines. At least half a dozen polygraph examinations were conducted, with the first two — on Brooks-Murray and Martell — occurring on May 12, 2025, at the Bible Hill detachment, FIPA BC documented. Investigators also obtained records from the TextPlus app, which Brooks-Murray had used for calls after the disappearance before deleting the application, FIPA BC noted. RCMP Northeast Nova Scotia Major Crime Unit continues to lead the investigation as of early 2026.

The Sullivan case has drawn sustained public attention partly because it remains unsolved despite an unusually comprehensive RCMP response. Eleven units mobilized, more than a thousand tips reviewed, polygraph examinations conducted, surveillance footage obtained — and yet the fundamental question of what happened to two young children in a rural Nova Scotia trailer park remains unanswered. For Malehya Brooks-Murray, who reported the children missing and passed a polygraph test, the wait has been ongoing for nearly a year. The investigation continues, and RCMP continues to appeal for anyone with information to come forward.

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Malehya Brooks-Murray reported Lily and Jack Sullivan missing from their Nova Scotia home, with the Malehya Brooks-Murray case update providing key RCMP insights, 1,111 tips, and family background.

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