In a dramatic new twist that has deepened the anguish surrounding one of Nova Scotia’s most haunting missing children cases, the mother of six-year-old Lilly Sullivan and four-year-old Jack Sullivan has alleged in newly unsealed court documents that her common-law partner was physically abusive towards her during their three-year relationship.

The explosive claims, contained in police interview excerpts filed to support search warrant applications, paint a picture of a volatile household in the rural community of Lansdowne Station, Pictou County, where tensions allegedly simmered behind closed doors long before the siblings vanished without trace on May 2, 2025.

Malehya Brooks-Murray, the children’s mother, told investigators that her then-partner Daniel Martell would “try to block her, hold her down and once he pushed her.” She further claimed he would snatch her phone when she tried to call her mother, and that these confrontations “would sometimes be physical and hurt.”

The documents, which include unproven allegations and have not been tested in court, have reignited intense scrutiny of the family dynamics in the months leading up to the disappearance — a case that has gripped the province for nearly a year with no arrests, no body, and no definitive answers.

As the children remain missing more than ten months later, the fresh revelations have left relatives, investigators and the wider Nova Scotia community asking urgent questions: What really went on inside that rural home on Gairloch Road? Could the alleged abuse have played any role in the siblings’ vanishing? And why has the massive search yielded so little?

The ordinary morning that ended in unimaginable horror

It was a quiet Friday morning in early May 2025 when the lives of the Sullivan family changed forever.

Lilly, a bright and energetic six-year-old who loved wearing pink, and her little brother Jack, a playful four-year-old often seen in his favourite dinosaur boots, were at home with their mother Malehya Brooks-Murray, her common-law partner Daniel Martell, and the couple’s infant daughter Meadow.

According to the initial 911 call made by Brooks-Murray around 10am, the older children had simply “wandered away” from the property. She told police they had been playing inside the house while the adults were in the bedroom with the baby. Lilly had come in and out of the room, and Jack’s voice was heard from the kitchen area — until suddenly, there was silence.

The family home sits in a heavily wooded rural area, the kind of place where children might naturally explore. But what began as a possible case of two youngsters getting lost quickly escalated into one of the largest search operations in Nova Scotia history.

Hundreds of RCMP officers, ground search and rescue volunteers, helicopters, drones, cadaver dogs and even lake dives were deployed. A pink blanket believed to belong to Lilly and a child-sized boot print were among the few items recovered, but no further solid clues emerged. Despite the unprecedented effort, Lilly and Jack have not been seen or heard from since that fateful morning.

Ten months on, the case remains classified under the provincial Missing Persons Act rather than a full criminal homicide investigation. No charges have been laid in relation to the children’s disappearance, and the RCMP continues to appeal for tips.

Explosive allegations emerge from unsealed court files

The new details surfaced in January 2026 when court documents filed by RCMP investigators to obtain search warrants were unsealed with fewer redactions.

In police interviews conducted in the early stages of the probe, Brooks-Murray was directly asked about her relationship with Martell, with whom she had been living on his mother’s property in Lansdowne since around August 2023.

When questioned whether Martell was ever physically abusive, she described incidents in which he would block her path, hold her down, and on one occasion push her. She alleged he would confiscate her phone during arguments — sometimes in a physical manner that caused her pain — particularly when she attempted to contact her own mother.

The documents portray a relationship marked by conflict. Brooks-Murray’s statements suggest a pattern of controlling behaviour that left her feeling isolated and fearful at times.

Martell, however, has strongly denied the allegations. In interviews with media outlets, including Global News, he insisted there was no physical violence in the relationship. “We would yell at each other when we were fighting, but there was no physical violence,” he reportedly told investigators. He described their arguments as “typical ups and downs” that happen in many relationships and accused some narratives of trying to paint him in a negative light.

None of the allegations have been proven in court, and both sides of the story now form part of the broader investigative picture.

A household under strain: What else the documents reveal

The unsealed files offer a rare glimpse into the domestic life of the blended family in the lead-up to May 2, 2025.

Brooks-Murray and Martell had been together for approximately three years. They shared the rural property with Lilly, Jack, and their young baby daughter. Friends and family members have previously described the children as happy and full of life, with a close sibling bond. Lilly was often the protective big sister, while Jack followed her lead with giggles and energy.

Yet the court documents hint at underlying tensions. Allegations of phone confiscation and physical blocking raise questions about isolation and control — classic hallmarks of coercive control in domestic relationships, according to experts in intimate partner violence.

Paternal grandmother Belynda Gray has long been vocal about her concerns for the children’s welfare. In earlier interviews, she expressed deep fears, stating her “heart tells me these babies are gone” and calling for a public inquiry into child protection services and any prior red flags in the home.

Maternal grandmother Cyndy Murray, by contrast, has spoken movingly of Lilly and Jack as “full of life” children who loved their mother and each other, urging the public to remember their joyful personalities rather than just the tragedy.

The contrasting accounts from different sides of the family have only added to the emotional complexity of the case.

Daniel Martell: Denials and new legal troubles

Martell has maintained his innocence regarding the children’s disappearance and has cooperated with police, including undergoing polygraph tests.

However, in a separate development that has further complicated the narrative, Martell was arrested in early 2026 and charged with assault, sexual assault, and forcible confinement involving an adult woman. The incidents are alleged to have occurred between September 2024 and March 2025 — a period overlapping with his relationship with Brooks-Murray and the time leading up to the children’s vanishing.

He appeared in Pictou Provincial Court in March 2026 to face those charges, which are unrelated to Lilly and Jack but have inevitably drawn fresh attention to his character and the household environment.

Martell has not been charged in connection with the missing children, and RCMP have stressed that the Sullivan case remains a missing persons investigation.

The massive search — and why it has yielded so few answers

From the moment Brooks-Murray called 911, authorities launched an all-out effort.

Search teams combed dense forests, swamps, and trails surrounding the Gairloch Road property. Helicopters scanned from above. Dogs followed scents. Lakes and waterways were probed. Volunteers from across the province poured in, tying yellow ribbons and holding vigils.

Yet despite the scale, little concrete evidence has surfaced. The pink blanket and boot print offered tantalising but inconclusive leads. No clothing, no personal items belonging to the children, and no eyewitnesses who saw them leave the property or enter a vehicle have been publicly confirmed.

As months turned into nearly a year, the active ground search was scaled back, though the file remains open. A reward has been offered in some reports, and the RCMP continues to follow tips.

Criminologists and search experts note that the rural, heavily wooded terrain makes the task exceptionally difficult. Children who wander off can quickly become disoriented, but the complete absence of traces after such an extensive operation has led many to fear the worst or suspect foul play.

Family anguish and divided loyalties

The Sullivan case has torn families apart in more ways than one.

Brooks-Murray has largely remained out of the spotlight in recent months, with some reports describing her as “taking it day by day.” Friends say she is devastated and maintains the children simply wandered away.

Paternal relatives, led by Belynda Gray, have been more outspoken, criticising aspects of the investigation and calling for greater transparency and accountability regarding child welfare oversight.

The unsealed documents have only intensified these family fractures, with questions swirling about supervision on the morning of May 2, the layout of the property (including any fencing), and whether domestic tensions could have contributed to any lapse in care.

Community vigils continue in Pictou County and beyond. Yellow ribbons flutter on trees and fences. Social media groups dedicated to bringing Lilly and Jack home share photos of the smiling siblings — Lilly in her pink outfits, Jack with his infectious grin — pleading for anyone with information to come forward.

Experts weigh in on the implications of the abuse allegations

Domestic violence specialists spoken to by Daily Mail say that allegations of physical blocking, holding down, and phone confiscation are consistent with patterns of coercive control. Even if not resulting in severe injury, such behaviours can create an atmosphere of fear and isolation that impacts everyone in the household — including children.

However, they caution that the claims remain unproven and that correlation does not equal causation in the disappearance.

Child protection advocates have renewed calls for a public inquiry, echoing Belynda Gray’s demands to examine whether any warning signs were missed by services prior to May 2025.

RCMP investigators have confirmed that the nature of the relationship between Brooks-Murray and Martell is part of their ongoing probe, though they have not reclassified the case as criminal.

What happens next in the search for Lilly and Jack?

As spring approaches once more — marking nearly a full year since the children vanished — pressure is mounting for fresh momentum.

The RCMP says every credible tip is pursued. Advances in forensic technology, potential new witnesses, or even a breakthrough in the surrounding woods could still bring answers.

For the family, every day without news is another day of torment. Birthdays have passed. Holidays have come and gone. The empty spaces at family gatherings serve as painful reminders of two vibrant children who are still missing.

Malehya Brooks-Murray’s allegations, now public through the court documents, add another layer of heartbreak and complexity to an already agonising mystery. They raise uncomfortable questions about the home environment but provide no definitive explanation for why Lilly and Jack disappeared that May morning.

Daniel Martell continues to deny any physical abuse and maintains he has been open and honest throughout the process.

As one investigator reportedly told the family early on: the truth may lie somewhere in the silence that fell over the house after the children’s voices were last heard.

The people of Nova Scotia — and Canadians across the country — continue to hold their breath. Yellow ribbons remain tied. Candles are still lit at vigils.

Lilly and Jack Sullivan deserve to be found — whether safe and sound in some unimaginable miracle, or to allow their loved ones the closure of bringing them home.

The RCMP urges anyone with any information, no matter how small, to contact them or Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers. A dedicated tip line remains active for the Sullivan children.

Until that breakthrough comes, the heartbreaking question echoes louder than ever across the woods of Lansdowne Station: Where are Lilly and Jack?