Six-year-old Lilly Sullivan, left, and four-year-old Jack Sullivan went missing on May 2 in the community of Lansdowne Station, N.S.Supplied
The Nova Scotia government is offering a reward of as much as $150,000 for information about the disappearance of siblings Lilly and Jack Sullivan, who have been missing for nearly seven weeks.
The children, aged six and four, were reported missing May 2 from their mobile home in Lansdowne Station, in rural Pictou County. The case prompted one of the largest ground searches in Nova Scotia’s history, with hundreds of volunteers, aided by drones, helicopters and rescue dogs, scouring a densely wooded area marked by old mine shafts and lakes.
Missing Nova Scotia children were assessed by child welfare agency months before disappearance
The RCMP have consistently said there is no evidence the children were abducted. Despite hundreds of tips from the public, no sign of the children has been found.
“The disappearance of Jack and Lilly Sullivan is felt across the province and beyond, and my heart goes out to the family, the community and everyone who has been working to find these children since Day 1,” said Becky Druhan, Nova Scotia’s Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, in a statement.
Ms. Druhan announced the plea for tips as part of the province’s Rewards for Major Unsolved Crimes Program, which is currently offering compensation for 122 unsolved homicides, suspicious deaths and missing persons cases in the province.
The children’s parents have said they believe the kids slipped out the back door at around 10 a.m. while they were sleeping in another room.
The RCMP have confirmed that both Lilly and Jack were last seen in public a day earlier, on the afternoon of May 1.
“Police and investigators are working tirelessly to find answers, and I urge anyone with information to please share this with the RCMP as soon as possible,” Ms. Druhan said.
The Mounties said they requested the case be added to the province’s rewards program, but still encouraged people with information to call the RCMP’s major crime unit directly, at 902-896-5060.
“The RCMP is using all available tools and resources to help find Lilly and Jack and determine the circumstances of their disappearance; Nova Scotia’s rewards program is one of the tools available to help find the children,” spokesperson Cindy Bayers said in an email.
Lilly is described as four feet tall and weighing 60 pounds, with light brown hair and hazel eyes. When she disappeared, she was believed to be wearing a pink Barbie top and pink rubber boots with a rainbow print and carrying a cream-coloured backpack with a strawberry print. Jack is described as three feet, six inches tall and weighing 40 pounds, with dark blonde hair and hazel eyes. He was believed to be wearing a pull-up diaper, black Under Armour jogging pants and blue rubber boots with a dinosaur print.
The Attorney-General’s office is urging anyone with information to call 1-888-710-9090. People must provide their name and contact information and may be called to testify in court, and all calls will be recorded, according to the statement. The reward amount will be based on the “investigative value” of the information provided.
People who prefer to remain anonymous can call Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).