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Martell confirmed that on Monday night, the Mounties showed him shirts, a blanket and a water bottle found during the search near Gairloch Road, but he said none of the items belongs to either child. He said Monday he was worried the children may have been abducted, but police have said there is no evidence the children were taken and that investigators are acting under the belief both kids wandered from their home.

RCMP Cpl. Carlie McCann told reporters that as of Tuesday afternoon, there were no updates or sign of the children.

“At this point, Lily and Jack are still considered missing children,” she said.

Asked about concerns expressed by their stepfather, that it was possible the children were abducted, McCann said, “police are pursuing all investigative avenues and there are a variety of teams involved who are applying the tools and the skills and expertise needed to locate and bring Jack and Lily home.”

She declined to confirm if the RCMP major crimes investigation unit had become involved, saying only that “a variety of (investigative) teams” were working the case.

“If different folks from different units have expertise or the skills or the tools needed, they’ve been called upon to support the investigation,” she said.

Earlier on Tuesday, an RCMP spokesperson issued a brief statement saying that during the search Monday night, the police force used four remotely operated aerial drones equipped with heat-seeking technology.

McCann said each of the drones was using forward-looking infrared radar, which can spot the heat signatures of humans. She said specially trained ground search teams combed through the heavily wooded area on Monday night.

Meanwhile, the children’s maternal grandmother said Tuesday morning she, too, is holding on to hope the children will be found safe. 

“We’re just hoping and praying for the best – that’s it – for our babies to come home,” Cyndy Murray said in a brief phone interview, adding that police have advised the family against speaking with the public. Murray’s daughter is the children’s mother, Malehya Brooks-Murray.

RCMP Staff Sgt. Josh Wiese, the incident commander, said the mood among searchers and officers is one of “exhaustion and optimism.”

“We want to bring the children home to the parents … (the searchers) are trying to stay on focus and on mission,” he said.

He added that the search over the hilly terrain is exhausting, as teams navigate holes, crevasses and bogs, and deal with insects and increasingly warm temperatures.

Police have said that for four days ground teams have meticulously searched several kilometres in a heavily wooded area about 25 kilometres southwest of New Glasgow.

Martell said that after the disappearance, the children’s mother left to be with her family in another part of the province and has blocked him on social media. 

RCMP describe Lily Sullivan as having shoulder-length, light brown hair with bangs, and they say she might be wearing a pink sweater, pink pants and pink boots; Jack Sullivan has short, blond hair and is wearing blue dinosaur boots. 

Up to 140 people at a time have been searching for the children, with the help of police dogs and drones.

Major Daniel Roode, who is the Salvation Army officer responsible for Pictou county, said in an interview Tuesday his team has received overwhelming support from the community as his group prepares hot meals. This includes Monday night’s dinner of barbecued ribs and potatoes for the volunteer ground search and rescue teams.                                                                                 

He said the role of the charitable organization is to provide comfort and support to searchers as they return from the thick brush, dealing with insect bites and thigh-deep water. Roode said that as he attempted to buy coffee at a local store in Pictou County, the vendor insisted he take the beverages for free. “People want to give and they want to respond,” he said. 

“It becomes very personal and they think, ‘What if that was my child?’” 

Roode said he realizes there is speculation online about what may have happened to the children, but said the focus should remain on trying to locate the missing brother and sister. 

“There are things on social media that go around … but this is about a community that is looking for Jack and Lily and want to see them to come home,” he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 6, 2025.

— With files from Lyndsay Armstrong and Michael MacDonald in Halifax.