‘No Matter How Lost I Feel, I Haven’t Given Up Hope’ — Mother’s Agony Six Months After Lilly and Jack Vanish in Nova Scotia

PICTOU COUNTY, N.S. — Six months after her two young children disappeared without a trace, Malehya Brooks-Murray says she is living every mother’s worst nightmare — one that hasn’t ended since that cold, quiet morning in May.

Her son Jack, 4, and daughter Lilly Sullivan, 6, vanished from their rural home in Lansdowne Station, Pictou County, on May 2, sparking a massive search that gripped Nova Scotia and left a community desperate for answers.

Now, as another season of darkness closes in and snow begins to fall, Brooks-Murray is still waiting — still hoping.

“Life feels extremely hard to keep going,” she wrote in a Facebook post this week. “With no answers it is just pure lostness, like I can no longer feel at home anymore. No matter how lost I feel, I have not given up hope that my children will be returned home to me safe and sound.”

Her plea comes as police continue to reject theories that a stranger abducted the children, despite widespread speculation and conflicting witness accounts from neighbors.

‘Someone, Somewhere Knows Something’

In her emotional post, Brooks-Murray vowed to “never stop searching” for her two children, thanking family, friends, and volunteer groups for their relentless efforts.

She gave special mention to the organization Please Bring Me Home, a volunteer search and recovery team that plans to resume its search on November 15.

“They have given me hope,” she wrote. “They have shown me that the world still cares about Jack and Lilly. Someone, somewhere knows something — please bring my babies home.”

A Morning That Changed Everything

The children were last seen at their home in Lansdowne Station, a small, wooded community roughly 160 kilometers northeast of Halifax. They lived there with their mother and stepfather, Daniel Martell.

According to police reports, Lilly and Jack were last accounted for early that morning. By mid-morning, Brooks-Murray realized they were missing — the doors open, their beds empty, and no trace of where they had gone.

A massive search operation began within hours, involving RCMP officers, K9 units, search-and-rescue teams, and local volunteers, who combed the surrounding forests and streams. Drones, helicopters, and thermal imaging were deployed over the following days.

Despite the effort, no trace of the children has ever been found — no clothing, footprints, or signs of a struggle.

Police Rule Out Abduction Theory

As weeks turned into months, public speculation mounted over what could have happened to Lilly and Jack. Several locals told investigators they had heard a vehicle driving back and forth near the home in the early hours before the children vanished, prompting rumors of an abduction.

But police say those reports have not yielded any credible evidence.

In a statement released this week, the Nova Scotia RCMP confirmed that no indication of third-party involvement had been found and that investigators were “continuing to explore all possible scenarios.”

“We understand the emotional toll this case has taken on the community,” the RCMP said. “At this time, the evidence does not support the theory of abduction. Our investigators remain focused on finding out what happened to Lilly and Jack.”

For Brooks-Murray, those words bring little comfort.

“I just want my children found,” she said in a message shared with reporters. “Whatever the truth is — I need to know.”

A Community Still Searching

The small towns scattered across Pictou County have come together in an extraordinary show of support. Local churches have held vigils, and yellow ribbons tied to trees and telephone poles line the roads leading toward Lansdowne Station.

Neighbors and volunteers continue to assist with ground searches, even as winter sets in.

“There’s a sense of heartbreak and helplessness,” said Nancy Doyle, a resident who’s been part of several volunteer search efforts. “Everyone wants answers, but the silence is deafening.”

Many say the uncertainty is what hurts the most.

“It’s the not knowing,” Doyle added. “If there was any clue, any sign — even the smallest thing — it might bring peace. But there’s nothing.”

A Mother’s Endless Hope

For Malehya Brooks-Murray, every day is a balancing act between faith and despair. She continues to post updates on social media, sharing memories of her children’s laughter, drawings, and birthdays that now pass in heartbreaking silence.

She says she still sets two places at the dinner table.

“I can’t stop,” she wrote. “It’s my way of believing they’ll come home.”

Her words have resonated across Canada, drawing sympathy and renewed calls for awareness. Support groups have sent messages from as far away as British Columbia and Ontario.

Still, Malehya’s message remains the same: hope, persistence, and love.

“I will never stop searching,” she wrote. “I will never stop believing that I will see their faces again.”

As the sixth month of uncertainty passes, Nova Scotia holds its breath — praying that one day soon, this story will have an ending that brings the light home again.