Assault case for stepfather of missing Nova Scotia children delayed until summer

Daniel Martell, stepfather of missing siblings Lilly and Jack Sullivan, is pictured on June 3, 2025.

PICTOU — An assault case involving the stepfather of two missing Nova Scotian children has been rescheduled to July.

Daniel Martell is due back in provincial court in Pictou, N.S., on July 7 to enter an election and plea.

Crown attorney Bill Gorman said during a brief court appearance that the delay was needed to allow for additional disclosure.

Martell, who did not attend the hearing, is charged with assault, sexual assault and unlawful confinement involving an adult victim who cannot be identified.

He is the stepfather of four-year-old Jack Sullivan and his six-year-old sister Lilly, who were reported missing in May 2025 from their home in Lansdowne Station, N.S., about 140 kilometres north of Halifax.

• READ LATEST: ‘We need the truth’: Vigil held on one-year anniversary of Jack and Lilly’s disappearance

The RCMP have said there is no evidence of a criminal offence in the children’s disappearance.

Extensive searches of the area near the children’s home have revealed few clues other than a few boot prints and a piece of blanket belonging to Lilly.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 4, 2026.

Devin Stevens, The Canadian Press