No Human Remains Found as Search for Missing Nova Scotia Siblings Continues: RCMP

Four-year-old Jack Sullivan and 6-year-old Lilly Sullivan, seen in this handout photo, went missing on May 2, 2025, in the community of Lansdowne Station, N.S. The Canadian Press/Handout - Nova Scotia Ground Search and Rescue Association

Nova Scotia RCMP say despite the use of cadaver dogs, they have failed to find any clues in a case of two missing children in that province.

Lilly Sullivan, 6, and Jack Sullivan, 4, were reported missing on May 2 from their home on Gairloch Road in Lansdowne Station, about 140 kilometres northeast of Halifax. The family reportedly told police they suspected the children had wandered away from their home.

In a recent update, RCMP said two officers and their police dogs conducted searches for the children in September, covering 40 kilometers in the Lansdowne Station area.

“The teams, specially trained in detecting human remains, searched at the property from which the children went missing, along the pipeline and intersecting trails, and in an area where a pink blanket was previously found – all locations where there was the highest probability of finding the children. However, the teams did not locate any remains,” the RCMP said in an Oct. 8 statement.

“The dogs are highly trained to detect and indicate the scent of human remains, therefore, if the dogs did not alert their handlers, it suggests the dogs were never in the presence of human remains odour,” Staff Sgt. Stephen Pike said. However, he said that this did not rule out the possibility that there are human remains in the area searched.

“It means either the odour is there and couldn’t be detected or the odour isn’t there.”

The RCMP say 860 tips have been received so far in the case, with investigators reviewing 8,060 videos, along with continued forensic testing to help solve the case.

Staff Sgt. Rob McCamon said they have received support from agencies across Canada.

“The investigative team is working to validate or eliminate leads and follow the evidence wherever it takes us,” McCamon added.

He also said they were “considering all possibilities” and would continue until the case was solved.

“Each piece of information, including the results from the search teams, helps inform our next steps,” he said.

The RCMP are asking anyone with information about the children’s whereabouts to call police at 902-896-5060 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).

McCamon said that sometimes “the smallest detail holds the biggest answers.”

“One piece of information may help reveal a key piece in the investigation that leads to finding Lilly and Jack,” he said.

The province has added the case to its Rewards for Major Unsolved Crimes Program, and anyone with information about the children’s disappearance could receive a cash reward up to $150,000. The province has encouraged anyone with information to call 1-888-710-9090.