In a poignant expression of her turmoil, the mother of two missing children from Canada has spoken out nearly six months after their mysterious disappearance, as authorities continue to rule out abduction. The case of her young children has left a community in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, grappling with questions and unending hope.

Malehya Brooks-Murray finds herself engulfed in despair following the disappearance of her four-year-old son, Jack, and six-year-old daughter, Lilly Sullivan, who vanished from their home on May 2. As winter looms, bringing with it the chilling reminder of time passing, Brooks-Murray took to social media, reaching out for their safe return.

In a heartfelt post on the “Find Lilly and Jack Sullivan” Facebook page dated October 13, she shared, “As a mother, I love my children more than life itself. I feel so heartbroken not being able to hold my two children, Lilly and Jack, kiss them, breathe in their scent, or tuck them into bed.” Her words paint a vivid picture of the void their absence has left in her life.

The emotional toll is unrelenting, as she describes a longing that defies comprehension. “The longing I have for them to come home is a greater feeling than I could ever imagine. There is not a single day, minute, or second that goes by without thinking about my children,” she wrote. Her daily life is a constant reminder of her children, as she notices the things they love in every store she visits—candy, clothes, toys—all serving as painful reminders of their absence.

‘The longing I have for them to come home back to me is a greater feeling than I could never imagine feeling or put into words how I am feeling. There is not one single day, minute or second that goes by that I am not thinking about my children. 

‘I walk into a store and all I see is things they love, that I want to get for them when they come home, the candy they like, the clothes they wear, the toys they love, all I see is them.’ 

Meanwhile, a reward of $15,000 Canadian dollars is being offered for information about their disappearance from Lansdowne Station.

Brooks-Murray said she ‘so desperately’ aches for her children’s return ‘back into my arms where I will never let them go.’

‘I am truly traumatized not being able to hear the sweet sound of their voices, their laugh, when they would sing a Gabby’s doll house song, that now only makes me cry when I hear it because all I hear is Lilly and Jack singing along,’ she continued. 

Jack, four, and Lilly, six, went missing from their home in Nova Scotia six months ago and were reported missing by their mother, Malehya Brooks-Murray, on May 2

The children’s mother Brooks-Murray (right) and their stepfather Daniel Martell (left), who shares a young daughter with Brooks-Murray

As the cold of winter approaches and no new theories have been unearthed, Brooks-Murray made a plea for their return on a Facebook page, Find Lilly and Jack Sullivan

‘Not being able to breathe in their scent when I embrace them tightly. I don’t want these moments to be memories, I want my babies home. My Lilly Mae and Jacky. The pure pain I suffer of just not knowing where they are has impacted my life and M and my family in the most devastating way.

‘Life feels extremely hard to keep going. With no answers it is just pure lostness, like I can no longer feel at home anymore. No matter how lost I feel I have not given up hope that my children will be returned home to me safe and sound. I have all the faith and hope I will see them again.’

She praised ongoing efforts on the part of family members, friends and the volunteer group Please Bring Me Home, which is conducting a search on November 15, to look for the youngsters.

Brooks-Murray vowed to ‘never stop searching’ for Jack and Lilly and wrote that ‘someone, somewhere, knows something so please bring my babies home.’

Her plea for the return of her children comes as theories over their disappearance continue to swirl.

The youngsters, who lived with their mother and stepfather, Daniel Martell, disappeared from their home in Lansdowne Station on the morning of May 2. 

Police have released no new leads on where the young children could be and have dismissed theories of an abduction after witness statements weren’t able to provide any evidence.

The Nova Scotia RCMP released statements from nearby neighbors, who said they heard a car going back and forth near the home in the middle of the night before the children vanished. 

Brooks-Murray vowed to ‘never stop searching’ for Jack and Lilly and wrote that ‘someone, somewhere, knows something so please bring my babies home’

Police have released no new leads on where the young children could be and have dismissed theories of an abduction after witness statements weren’t able to provide any evidence

Nearby resident Brad Wong told constables that he had heard a ‘loud vehicle’ coming and going around the area in the early hours of the morning on the day the children were reported missing, CBC reported. 

RCMP Corporal Charlene Curl wrote that Wong ‘said his residence is elevated from Daniel’s [Martell] residence and he could see vehicle lights over the treetops.’

‘He said the vehicle left three or four times after midnight and into the early hours of the morning. He said the vehicle would drive off in the distance and he could hear it stop and then return. He said it remained in earshot the entire time,’ court documents stated, according to CBC. 

Another nearby resident, Justin Smith, told investigators on May 17 that he heard a vehicle on Highway 289 turn around by railroad tracks near an intersection close to the children’s home around 1.30am. 

‘[Smith] later spoke with Brad Wong who informed him Daniel’s vehicle came and went five or six times that night. Wong said the car Smith heard was Daniel,’ the constable added. 

Police said that with no evidence such as surveillance footage available, the witness statements could not be proven. 

Spokesman Cindy Bayers told The Canadian Press on October 21 that police ‘found no evidence of any vehicle activity at that time. As such, no driver has been identified, and the presence of a vehicle has not be substantiated as a key element in the investigation.’ 

Staff Sergeant Rob McCamon has said that the case is still being treated as a missing persons case, and no criminal activity has been found at this time.

The Nova Scotia RCMP released statements from nearby neighbors, who said they heard a car going back and forth in the middle of the night before the children vanished

Staff Sergeant Rob McCamon said that it is still being treated as a missing persons case

Please Bring Me Home executive director Nick Oldrieve said their search set for November 15 is focusing on the ‘misadventure/wandering’ theory 

‘There are multiple aspects of this investigation ongoing simultaneously,’ McCamon said in a release. 

‘Each piece of information, including the results from the search teams, helps inform our next steps. With support from agencies across Canada, the investigative team is working to validate or eliminate leads and follow the evidence wherever it takes us.

‘At this stage, and as we’ve said all along, we’re considering all possibilities. We’ll keep going until we determine, with certainty, the circumstances of the children’s disappearance and they’re found.’ 

A search on October 8 around Lansdowne Station and the children’s home did not result in the finding of any human remains.  

A ‘last ditch’ search effort, set for November 15, is set to focus on and potentially rule out a ‘misadventure’ or ‘wandering’ theory, according to Please Bring Me Home executive director Nick Oldrieve.

Oldrieve told the Daily Mail that the organization was contacted by the children’s paternal grandmother, Belynda Gray, as well as ‘associates’ of their mother, Brooks-Murray. 

He noted that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) is set to continue searching in ‘full force’ come spring as the season is ‘bar none’ the ‘best time to search for anybody.’ 

‘At this time we’re only involved from a wandering slash misadventure search effort. And that involves waterways,’ he said. 

‘So ponds, lakes, standing water, and creeks, have to be revisited,’ he added.

He said that the low water levels will help reveal more to the search teams as they are expected to be scouring around a little more than three miles. 

Oldrieve said that along with his team, the group has invited volunteers and members of the public to scour land near the children’s home for any sign of Jack and Lilly.