It’s been two weeks since two young children vanished without a trace in rural Nova Scotia.
Here’s a look back at what’s happened since they disappeared.
Around 10 a.m., six-year-old Lilly Sullivan and four-year-old Jack Sullivan are reported missing from their home on Gairloch Road in Lansdowne Station in Pictou County, roughly 25 kilometres southwest of New Glasgow.
The children’s stepfather, Daniel Martell, told CBC News the siblings had been kept home from school that day, and the previous day, because Lilly had a cough. There was no school on that Wednesday because it was a professional development day for teachers.
Martell said while he and their mother, Malehya Brooks-Murray, were in the bedroom with their one-year-old daughter, Lilly came in and out several times, and Jack could be heard in the kitchen. Shortly after, they could not hear the children.
Martell said he believes the children opened the sliding back door, which he said is nearly silent, and went outside.
The home borders a heavily wooded area with steep banks and thick brush.
At 12:25 p.m., RCMP issue a news release notifying the public about the missing children and asking anyone with information to come forward. Police say they believe the children wandered away from their home, and there was no evidence of abduction.
At 4:55 p.m., the Mounties issue an update, saying the search is ongoing and asking the public to stay away from the area. The news release says a vulnerable missing persons advisory was issued for Pictou County earlier that day.
Volunteers search through the night. More than 100 people are involved in the search, which includes ground search and rescue, dog services, drones and helicopters.
Officials remain optimistic the children will be found.
At 5:26 p.m., Nova Scotia RCMP issue a wider missing persons alert to Pictou, Colchester and Antigonish counties.
The children’s mother speaks to CTV News, saying she is staying hopeful.
As the search continues for the missing children, their stepfather says he wants authorities to monitor the New Brunswick border and nearby airports in case the children were abducted.
RCMP Staff Sgt. Curtis MacKinnon says 160 searchers are out looking for the children, despite challenging conditions due to heavy rain.
Police and rescue agencies continue to search for the children 24/7.
Nova Scotia RCMP told CBC News searchers located what could’ve been a footprint on Saturday, and expanded the search effort in that area.
Four drones with thermal imaging technology are used at night to look for heat signatures in the woods.
Five days since the children were reported missing, a Nova Scotia RCMP spokesperson says the case remains a missing persons investigation.
The children’s stepfather tells CBC News that after their disappearance, the children’s mother left the area to be with her family in another part of the province and blocked him on social media.
He said there was an argument between the two families out in the yard of the home that day.
The children’s maternal grandmother speaks to The Canadian Press in a brief phone interview.
Cyndy Murray says the family is “hoping and praying” for the children to come home. She also says police advised the family against speaking to the media.
At 2 p.m., Nova Scotia RCMP announce the search for the missing kids is being “scaled back.”
Staff Sgt. Curtis MacKinnon says there hasn’t been any confirmed sightings of the children and it is unlikely they are alive.
He says searchers have covered a heavily wooded four-square-kilometre area — roughly the size of Halifax’s downtown — and teams will be returning to areas previously searched.
The children’s stepfather tells CBC News he’s exhausted.
The Nova Scotia RCMP pack up their command centre in Lansdowne Station and searchers leave the area.
The children’s stepfather tells CBC News that he spoke with investigators from the major crime unit at the Stellarton RCMP detachment earlier in the week.
He says he willingly handed over his phone to police and investigators have searched the home.
Martell says he has also asked for a polygraph test, but RCMP decline to say whether a polygraph would be administered.
An RCMP underwater team searches bodies of water in the Lansdowne Station area.
Meanwhile, a makeshift memorial is taking shape at the nearby Stellarton RCMP detachment, where community members are laying stuffed animals and flowers.
On May 9, an RCMP underwater team continues to search bodies of water in the Lansdowne Station area.
On May 12, a supportive community drop-in event is held by Nova Scotia Health at West River Fire Hall.
According to Nova Scotia Health, 17 families attend the event, where SchoolsPlus facilitators lead child-friendly activities, and crisis, outreach and health promotion staff are on hand to offer support and resource navigation.
At 3:04 p.m., RCMP issue a news release correcting the spelling of Lilly’s name. The agency had previously been spelling her name as Lily.
The children have now been missing for 12 days.
At 12:54 p.m., Nova Scotia RCMP issue a release saying they are continuing to investigate the case.
Police say they are following up on more than 180 tips from the public and have identified 35 people to conduct formal interviews with. Those people include community members and those closest to the family.
Police also confirm that an underwater recovery team searched lakes around Lansdowne Station on May 8 and 9, but did not uncover any evidence.
No update is provided on the case.
Nova Scotia RCMP confirm again there has been no evidence to suggest the children were abducted.
It has now been two weeks since the children were reported missing.
