Search teams are pulling back after nearly a week of trying to find Lily and Jack Sullivan, the young siblings who went missing in rural Nova Scotia last Thursday. The RCMP announced Wednesday that they are reducing the scale of their operation and will be shifting focus to smaller, more specific areas.
Ahead of the announcement, RCMP, Corporal Carlie McCann began with a land acknowledgment, saying "I acknowledge we are in Micmagi the traditional and unceded ancestral terrotory of the Micmac people. I also recognize that African Nova Scotian are a distinct people whose histories, legacies and contributions have enriched that part of Micmagi known as Nova Scotia for 400 years."
The two children, aged six and four, disappeared from their home on Gairloch Road in Lansdowne Station on May 2 according to Global News. They had not been in school for a few days due to illness, the family said. They said that when they woke up on Friday and the kids were not in the house they assumed they'd gone to play outside.
Despite using drones, helicopters, and police dogs to sweep four square kilometers of dense forest, officials say no trace of the pair has been found.
“We’re not packing up and we’re not giving up,” said Staff Sgt. Curtis MacKinnon of the Pictou County District RCMP. MacKinnon stressed that while the large search is being scaled down, the investigation itself is continuing. “We want to circle back to increase the probability that all clues have been found. And when transitioning from an active search to a scaled-back search, the probability of survival is taken into consideration.”
RCMP said roughly 160 searchers had participated each day, facing difficult conditions in wooded terrain about 30 kilometers from New Glasgow.
The children's stepfather, Daniel Martell, responded to news of the change in search operations by acknowledging the efforts made. “They can only do so much. They’re running on as much sleep as I am,” he said.
Amy Hansen, with Colchester County Ground Search and Rescue, described the physical strain on the teams involved. “It’s time to scale back,” she said. “We’re exhausting people and we’re starting to see more injuries coming back.”
Staff Sgt. Rob McCamon of the RCMP’s Major Crime and Behavioural Sciences Group said their team has been involved in the investigation from the beginning. He declined to confirm whether any criminal activity is suspected.
“I can’t really comment on the details of that, but we will pursue every lead that becomes available and take it to where it needs to go.” McCamon explained the decision to scale back came in part due to analysis by experts.
“Based on the experts and the review of the facts, the inclement weather, the time frames and their age, the likelihood that they’re alive right now is very low,” he said.
Police said the children’s family has been kept informed of the investgation and that both relatives and community members have been interviewed for any potential leads.
