Mother of missing N.S. children ‘taking it day by day,’ say loved ones
CBC
Nine months after Lilly and Jack Sullivan vanished without a trace in rural Nova Scotia, the silence surrounding their mother has been broken under the glare of intense public scrutiny.
In an exclusive interview with CBC News, members of Malehya Brooks-Murray’s inner circle are sharing new details about her life at the time of the disappearance and how the family is coping as the tragedy continues to unfold.
“Frustration comes to mind, especially when you sit there and you kind of feel like your hands are tied and [there’s] not much that you can do,” Angeline Maloney-Arsenault, Brooks-Murray’s childhood best friend, said during a recent interview in Brookfield, N.S.
Brooks-Murray has not spoken publicly about the case apart from one media interview during the initial search and a written statement she released through a volunteer search group.
She has been heavily criticized in comments on social media for remaining silent as armchair sleuths have speculated online about what happened to her children.
But Cheryl Robinson, a close family friend, said if you knew Brooks-Murray personally, her silence would not be surprising.
“That's just who she is. She was always quiet. She never was a confrontational person. She's very shy,” said Robinson.
“I know that her behaviour to a lot of people may seem odd and may seem different and it may not be what a lot of people would do if their two kids were missing, but until you're in that situation, you really don't know how you would act.”
On the morning of May 2, 2025, Brooks-Murray called 911 to report that Lilly, 6, and Jack, then 4, had gone missing from the rural home she shared with her boyfriend, Daniel Martell, and their baby daughter.
An extensive grid search of 8.5 square kilometres of mostly thick woods involving 1,700 crew members over 12,000 hours turned up little evidence apart from Lilly’s pink blanket hanging in a tree and a child-size boot print on a nearby trail.
Cyndy Murray, Brooks-Murray’s mother, said the past nine months have been “absolute torture.”
Murray last saw her grandchildren about a month before they went missing, when they came to her house for an egg hunt on Easter weekend.
“I made them Easter dinner and they just played and laughed,” Murray told CBC News, clutching two heart-shaped photos of Lilly and Jack.
“I miss them calling me Nae Nae.”
Eight casinos across southwest B.C. have been sold to First Nations in the last two years, with the province's gambling scene set to be reshaped as a result.
Hamilton hosts the Junos Sunday, and the musical awards show is bringing tourists, musicians, concerts and a ton of themed events to the city this week.
The multi-million-dollar deal at the heart of a high-profile fight between the Canadian government and one of the world’s biggest carmakers contains multiple clauses about the company’s footprint in Ontario, according to a copy obtained by CBC Windsor.
In recent months, Calgary police have carried out three day-long safety blitzes, parading out dozens of officers to flood an area with their increased presence — at least, temporarily.
A national organization is seeking people with experience in Canada's forestry sector as they put together a working group that will examine ways to improve forest recovery following wildfires.
Ella Heyder is bracing for a breakup, even though she already moved out decades ago.
Shawne Hopkins never saw it coming.
Politicians return to Queen’s Park Monday for a shortened spring session, as Premier Doug Ford prepares to unveil his eight budget amid heightened global economic uncertainty.
Despite a recent announcement that a water supply pipeline will be build in Oneida Nation of the Thames, some members of the community say that's no excuse for taking water for granted.
As scandal has swirled around former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, questions and curiosity have also focused on his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, and their daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.
Friday may have been the first day of spring, but winter storms are not over yet for Newfoundland.
While we officially welcomed spring last week, an incoming system will be a reminder that snow is still very much part of the new season, especially early on.
The future of a national historic site in Fredericton is up for discussion at meetings across New Brunswick in the next few weeks as the Anglican diocese considers what to do about costly repairs needed at Christ Church Cathedral.