It has now been three weeks exactly since two young children went missing in rural Nova Scotia and according to RCMP they have a whole team working to determine the circumstances of their disappearance.
Jack and Lilly Sullivan, four and six years old, are believed to have wandered away from home on Gairloch Road near Lansdowne Station in Pictou County, on May 2.
After the children went missing, for six days there was a massive search that involved more than 160 volunteers who spend tens of thousands of hours scouring five and a half kilometers of rough terrain.
Nova Scotia Ground Search and Rescue Association/Facebook
It was then scaled back so police could focus more on specific areas.
An underwater search on May 8 and 9 did not uncover any evidence and search teams were back out on the ground and in the air last weekend.
In an emailed statement to our newsroom, Friday, RCMP said many tools, resources and investigators are involved.
“As this is an ongoing investigation, we are not able to speak to specific evidence. There are no planned air and ground searches at this time. Any future searches will be determined based on the investigation,” said RCMP.
When our newsroom asked whether police were ruling out the circumstances being suspicious, RCMP said, “We’re exploring all avenues in this missing person’s case.”
Trail camera footage
Trail camera footage, that was requested by police, has been handed over by a nearby resident, according to CBC.
Melissa Scott, 44, said officers from the major crime unit visited her home on May 20 asking if she had any trail cameras set up of her property near Jack and Lilly’s home.
She handed over hours of footage Thursday afternoon that spans from April 27 to May 3.
Hard on the community
The investigation has not been easy on residents in the community.
Warden Robert Parker told our newsroom there was a feeling of hope and anxiety to a sense of sadness as well as an urgency for an explanation.
“What they really want now is answers. They need answers and maybe we won’t get them for a long time. I don’t know,” said Parker.
“What happens when people want answers and they’re not getting them; is they start making up their own answers.”
Parker added that there has been a lot of speculation about what might have happened, but it can get unhealthy when rumors go public.
A helicopter flies over Lansdowne Station in Pictou County, N.S., as part of the search and rescue operation to find Lilly and Jack Sullivan, two children who went missing on May 2. (Jacob Moore/Acadia Broadcasting)
Premier says it’s weighing heavy
Premier Tim Houston said Jack and Lilly’s disappearance is devastating.
He told reporters it’s hard on the entire community.
“It’s weighing heavy certainly on the minds of people in Pictou County and well beyond as well,” said Houston.
