Vigil mourns N.S. children one year after they disappeared

It was a day of sadness for many in Pictou County as the community marked the one-year anniversary of the disappearance of Jack and Lilly Sullivan.

On May 2, 2025, the four- and six-year-old reportedly walked away from their home and have not been seen since.

County Warden Robert Parker attended a vigil at 2 p.m. on Saturday, along with about 50 others, outside the RCMP detachment office in Stellarton, he said.

“I spoke briefly and just said that it’s not normal for two little ones just to disappear off the face of this earth,” Parker said.

“I think mostly the feeling I got was that we need justice. That was the word that was used a lot. We need justice for Jack and Lilly. In other words, we need to get some answers. People are looking for closure.”

He added that some were demanding the RCMP make more progress after a year. He said the atmosphere did not seem highly critical of the RCMP, but many want the police to start ruling things out and narrow down what could have happened to the children.

Earlier in the week, the RCMP spoke to reporters and said they are still doing everything they can to figure out what happened to the two children. They reiterated that they still have no evidence yet to suggest the case is criminal in nature, but they are still exploring all potential options.

He said that although it has been a year, it is important to keep the story in the news to put pressure on the authorities to find answers.

Belynda Gray, the grandmother of the children spoke during the vigil about how much the two children meant to her, he said.

Attendees also brought toys to leave outside the RCMP building, and they lit a small lighthouse, about two feet tall, a symbol to guide the children home.