Search teams are on their fourth day of searching for two young siblings missing in Pictou County, Nova Scotia. Jack Sullivan, 4, and Lily Sullivan, 6, are unaccounted for. The children were last seen playing in their home on Friday morning before they disappeared. This unexpected disappearance led to an unprecedented search operation, mobilizing almost 150 volunteers and professional search teams to endure severe weather conditions.
That fateful Friday, they were all obviously sound asleep — their mom Malehya Brooks-Murray and stepdad Daniel Martell and their 16-month-old infant. When they woke up later that morning, to their horror they found that Jack and Lily were gone. The family now lives in Pictou County, about 100 miles northeast of Halifax.
Her disappearance has raised a lot of eyebrows in the local community, especially among women. Speaking to the community’s collective anxiety, municipal councillor Donald Parker told the triage situation, “A lot of this is the fear of the unknown. Everybody’s worried, everybody’s concerned, but we’re all really hoping for the best here,” he added.
Search efforts over the past nine days have been enormous. More than a dozen teams are actively pursuing search and rescue operations in the thick jungles where the children were last spotted. Searchers have had to deal with torrential rain and severe fog as they crisscrossed difficult and dangerous terrain in search of any sign of Jack and Lily.
Michelle Glasgow, the chief of the Sipekne’katik First Nation, told her worries. She criticized the lack of an Amber Alert for the missing children. The absence of such an alert has fueled discussions about the necessity for a national alerting system to facilitate quicker responses in similar situations.
Tim Houston, the newly elected Conservative premier of Nova Scotia, known as one of Canada’s most assertive political landscapes, joined in solidarity with the affected families. PEOPLE across Pictou County and indeed all Nova Scotians are praying for a happy ending to a search for two missing children. He pointed out how personally this tragedy has struck the community.
As searchers work around the clock, everyone involved can only hope that Jack and Lily come home safe. This backing from community members and organizations shows the strength of Pictou County residents in their fight through this troubling period.