Police in Nova Scotia have remained tight-lipped for days since they announced a “scaled back” search for two missing children from a rural part of the province, which entered its 10th day.
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, which is about 30 kilometres from New Glasgow, N.S.
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.
After a lengthy and wide search where upwards of 160 people had been scouring the wooded area on land with search dogs, helicopters and drones, the RCMP said at a briefing on Wednesday it has decided to scale back the search, saying the likelihood the children are alive is “very low.”
“Based on the experts and the review of the facts, the inclement weather, the time frames and their age, the likelihood that they’re alive right now is very low,” said RCMP Staff Sgt. Rob McCamon.
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However, since Wednesday, the RCMP have not said anything further about the case and no new details have surfaced, leaving many wondering what is next for the search.
Global News reached out to the RCMP on Monday, 10 days since the children went missing, for an update.
In an interview on Monday afternoon, Nova Scotia RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Gui Tremblay said they have nothing new to add regarding the case.
“I know everyone’s affected by it, (and) investigators continue their hard work,” he said. “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.”
The children’s stepfather, Daniel Martell, said he and his family have been working closely with the RCMP to assist in their investigation.
“They’ve gone through the house, dogs — they’ve gone around the property with dogs,” said Martell.
“I’ve given them everything they wanted, I gave them my phone, I asked for polygraph exams.”
Martell told Global News that his side of the family are the only ones at the search site, after Lilly and Jack’s mother left the Pictou county last Saturday.
When reached by phone, the children’s mother, Malehya Brooks-Murray, said she had been advised by RCMP not to speak with the media further. Her mother, Cyndy Murray, also spoke to Global News and said the family was hoping for a positive outcome.
Lilly is described as having shoulder-length, light brown hair with bangs. She might be wearing a pink sweater, pink pants and pink boots. Martell said she was also carrying a white backpack with strawberries on it.
Jack has short, blond hair and was wearing blue dinosaur boots. Martell said he had not seen Jack on Friday morning, but believed he was wearing a brown shirt and pants with a pull-up diaper underneath.
With files from Mitchell Bailey.
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