Nova Scotia investigators have carried out a second round of polygraph tests in the disappearance of Jack and Lilly Sullivan, two young children who vanished from their rural home in 2025. The renewed examinations highlight how authorities are revisiting key evidence in a case that has puzzled police and the public for more than a year.
Jack and Lilly Sullivan disappeared on May 2, 2025, from Lansdowne in Nova Scotia, about 140 kilometres northeast of Halifax. The siblings, aged four and six at the time, were reported missing after they were last seen near their family home surrounded by thick forest.
Their disappearance sparked a massive search operation involving police, volunteers, and rescue teams. Despite extensive efforts, investigators have yet to determine what happened to the children.
Polygraph tests revisit Jack and Lilly Sullivan evidence
The latest polygraph tests focused heavily on one of the most talked-about pieces of evidence in the Jack and Lilly Sullivan investigation. That evidence is a light pink blanket discovered tangled in a tree along Lansdowne Station Road.
The blanket was found roughly one kilometre from the children’s home during the first day of the search. The item was identified by family members as belonging to Lilly.
Haley Ferdinand, the children’s aunt, said she discovered the blanket while searching the area with relatives and rescue teams. She described noticing something pink caught in branches about one metre above the ground.
Ferdinand said the discovery felt strange because the blanket appeared suddenly during their search.
During her polygraph examination on February 20, Ferdinand said investigators asked her four direct questions related to the blanket. Each question focused on whether she had planted or placed the blanket in the tree.
She said she answered “no” to every question and was told afterward that she passed the test.
Family members questioned about Jack and Lilly Sullivan blanket
Another relative present during the search, Haiden Murray-Smith, confirmed he underwent a similar polygraph examination the previous day.
He told reporters he was asked the same four questions regarding the pink blanket and also answered “no” each time. According to Murray-Smith, investigators informed him he passed the polygraph.
Both relatives were among the first people to notice the blanket during the search. Their accounts have been part of ongoing speculation about whether the item could have been placed in the tree intentionally.
Some family members have publicly suggested the blanket may have been planted, though investigators have not confirmed this theory.
RCMP continues investigation into Jack and Lilly Sullivan disappearance
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police confirmed that investigators have carried out additional polygraph tests as part of the continuing investigation. Officials declined further interviews but said the case remains active under the major crimes unit.
Authorities also confirmed the pink blanket is still undergoing forensic analysis at an RCMP laboratory.
Another key piece of evidence discovered during the search is a boot print on a nearby pipeline trail. Investigators said the print is consistent with Lilly’s foot size.
Police have not released details about the results of forensic examinations connected to either piece of evidence.
Polygraphs help guide investigations but cannot be used in court
Polygraph tests are commonly used in Canadian investigations to guide questioning and help narrow the focus of inquiries. However, results from these tests cannot be presented as evidence in court.
Michelle Jeanis, a criminal justice professor at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, said a second round of polygraphs often indicates investigators are reexamining the case from the beginning.
She explained that long-term missing person investigations sometimes require detectives to review every lead again in case something important was missed earlier.
Jeanis added that most missing person cases are solved quickly, making the length of the Jack and Lilly Sullivan investigation particularly concerning.
Timeline and evidence in the Jack and Lilly Sullivan case
Search warrant documents filed early in the investigation revealed additional details about the pink blanket.
Police records show the blanket fragment in the tree was discovered at around 4 p.m. on the day the children disappeared. Tracking dogs were brought to the location, but they did not detect a scent trail.
Two days later, investigators seized another piece of the same blanket from a trash bag near the driveway of the family home.
Court documents indicate the blanket had previously been used to block a draft at a door. According to statements provided to police, the blanket had been thrown away about a week before the children disappeared.
Investigators have also collected DNA samples from family members, including the children’s stepfather Daniel Martell.
Families still waiting for answers
Several relatives of Jack and Lilly Sullivan have participated in polygraph examinations since the children vanished. The children’s mother, Malehya Brooks-Murray, confirmed she recently completed a second polygraph test and was told she passed.
Martell previously said investigators asked him questions during earlier tests that assumed the children were already dead.
Despite the ongoing investigation, police have not publicly identified any suspects.
For family members, the renewed testing represents another step in a long search for answers. Ferdinand said the polygraph was simply one more task in the effort to uncover what happened to the missing children.
As months pass without new breakthroughs, relatives continue to hope investigators will eventually bring Jack and Lilly Sullivan home or provide clarity about their fate.
