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

A vigil was held for Jack and Lilly Sullivan on Saturday, May 2, 2026 in Stellarton, N.S., to mark the one-year anniversary of their disappearance. (Hafsa Arif/CTV Atlantic)

A vigil took place Saturday afternoon to mark the one-year anniversary of the disappearance of two Nova Scotia children.

Four-year-old Jack and six-year-old Lilly Sullivan were reported missing from their home on Gairloch Road in Lansdowne Station, N.S., on May 2, 2025. It is believed they wandered away from their rural property that morning.

“It is a hard day. It’s a hard day of not having answers. I’m glad we had the turnout that we did. It means a lot to a lot of people now. It’s not just us family that’s struggling. Everybody is keeping their names out there, and that’s what we need,” said the children’s paternal grandmother Belynda Gray.

People gathered outside the RCMP detachment to mark the somber anniversary. Gray was one of the people who spoke at the event.

“It took me two days. I was writing and rewriting. I’m filled with a lot of anger, a lot of rage, but I know I can’t let that out because we are searching for answers. We need the truth,” she said.

People carried signs calling for justice for Jack and Lilly.

“It’s hard to believe it’s been a year, and we know as much as we knew May 2, 2025,” said the children’s aunt Cheryl Robinson.

Searches for Jack and Lilly

Multiple searches have taken place in the heavily wooded areas near the children’s home over the past year, assisted by ground search teams and local volunteers, but their disappearance remains a mystery.

Many of those in attendance at Saturday’s vigil have participated in searches.

“As a mom, it touches you. You want the kids found. You want to make sure they’re safe,” said attendee Christine. She plans to spend the next few days searching with the family until she leaves for Toronto early next week.

“I’ve driven through various parts of Ontario, mostly border cities, putting up flyers on my way out here.”

The RCMP is still calling it a missing persons case and has said there is no evidence to suggest the children were abducted.

“I wish the police could give us more. Nobody wants their investigation compromised, but I do believe they can give us more than what they are doing, and I know the answers are out there,” said Gray.

‘Speculation has gone wild’

Police put a call out Thursday for “fact-based tips” from the public and not rumours or theories, which they say can hinder the investigation and make extra work for investigators who look into every tip they receive.

“The internet is just chaotic. A lot of lies, a lot of misdirection, and it’s not helping the investigation,” said Robinson.

“We want Jack and Lilly found, of course, but we want the RCMP to start eliminating things that they’ve already eliminated because the public speculation has gone wild.”

Gray just wants to know where her grandchildren are.

“We got to push for answers. We got to push for accountability. We got to push to change our laws in Canada. We’ve got to start protecting our children,” said Gray.

With files from CTV News Atlantic’s Andrea Jerrett and Hafsa Arif

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