Stepfather of missing Sullivan children charged with assault, forcible confinement: N.S. RCMP

The stepfather of the missing Sullivan children in Nova Scotia has been charged with assault involving an adult.

The stepfather of Lily and Jack Sullivan, who have been missing from their Lansdowne Station, N.S., home since last May, has been charged with assault, forcible confinement and sexual assault.

Allison Gerrard, senior communications advisor with the Nova Scotia RCMP, confirmed Daniel Robert Martell, 34, was arrested around 11:30 a.m. last Monday.

Court documents say the victim was a female and the alleged incidents occurred on Gairloch Road in Lansdowne on Dec. 1, 2024 – about six months before the children vanished from their home.

Martell is due in Pictou provincial court on March 2. None of the charges against him have been proven in court.

Lily, 6, and Jack, 4, were reported missing from their Gairloch Road home on May 2, 2025. Police have conducted multiple searches for the children but have yet to find them.

Martell has been a public face of the high-profile story. He was living with their mother when the children disappeared. He has spoken with reporters on several occasions and insisted he’s done everything investigators have asked of him. He’s also complained that he’s been living under an unfair cloud of suspicion, especially in online groups.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Bruce Frisko.

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