Missing N.S. children: Inside Saturday’s search for Jack and Lilly

A new search took place over the weekend in Lansdowne Station, N.S., for Jack and Lilly Sullivan.

On a chilly Saturday in November, the community gathered in Lansdowne Station, N.S., to search for two children who have been missing for more than six months.

Jack and Lilly Sullivan were reported missing from their home on Gairloch Road on May 2. Since then, numerous searches have taken place involving police, search and rescue crews, and volunteers.

The Ontario-based group Please Bring Me Home organized a search for the children Saturday.

Approximately 30 people joined the search, including local volunteers and members of the organization.

Two of the children’s aunts, Haley Ferdinand and Cheryl Robison, helped all day in the search efforts.

“We’re hoping for answers,” said Robinson. “We want to find them.”

The search began early in the morning, and had teams look along waterways that connected to the Middle River of Pictou.

“There’s a lot of downed trees still, the water’s high and cold, just a lot of tough terrain to track through but we’re doing it,” said Ferdinand.

She said some people would walk closer along the riverbeds, while others stayed higher up along the banks to cover a wide area.

“We’re hoping that the woods hold some answers that we’ve been searching for,” said Ferdinand.

‘It’s been hard’

The conditions were challenging for the volunteers, especially given the time of year.

“We’ve had a lot of people slip, fall into the water. A lot of people are wet. Of course, it’s cold because it’s November. There’s a lot of potential for injuries. A lot of steep areas, a lot of downed trees. It’s been hard,” said Robinson.

Please Bring Me Home said the search was conducted with a focus “solely on wandering and misadventure.”

“We’re basically looking for Lilly’s backpack, we’re looking for boots, we’re looking for clothing, we’re looking for anything that they may have had with them. Lilly’s doll. We’re looking for those types of items that might stand out because her backpack is white with strawberries on it,” said Robinson.

‘It is like a giant puzzle’

Angeline Arsenault joined the search Saturday as a first-time volunteer.

“It’s definitely very eye-opening to see how difficult it is going through the land, and it also opens your eyes to how it is very easy for something that could potentially be missed because it is like a giant puzzle out there,” said Arsenault.

She said it was important for her to participate in this latest search.

“What drew me to the search team is just being very close friends with the family. I’ve grown up with Malehya (Brooks-Murray) since I was a kid, so it’s more of a personal relationship and wanting to help her find her kids,” said Arsenault.

Please Bring Me Home has assisted in locating 50 missing people since it was founded in 2018.

This search comes several weeks after the RCMP brought in cadaver dogs. Roughly 40 kilometres were searched, but no remains were found.

Police have previously stressed there was “nothing definitive to support the children are deceased.”

Last month, the RCMP said investigators have received more than 860 tips so far, reviewed 8,060 videos files, and continue forensic testing.

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