‘You just want the answers’: N.S. community gathers for vigil honouring missing Sullivan children

Family and friends held a vigil for Lilly and Jack Sullivan, who have been missing for more than five months.

Under a sky brushing in pink and blue, friends and family gathered outside the Stellarton, N.S., RCMP detachment Wednesday evening for a poignant vigil marking nearly six months since two young siblings disappeared.

Jack and Lilly Sullivan were reported missing from their home in Lansdowne Station, a rural community in Pictou County, on May 2.

Wednesday’s event in their honour began at 7 p.m. as the sun dipped below the horizon on Jack’s fifth birthday.

Candles flickered in the cool air, a soft song played in their memory, and a growing mound of stuffed animals surrounded a memorial – tokens of love and hope that have continued to appear over the last several months.

“It’s in honour of him and Lilly as well, to keep their faces and names out there,” said the siblings’ aunt, Haley Ferdinand, tearfully. “You wake up and you go to sleep with the same thing on your mind, and you just want the answers, and we have nothing.”

About a dozen people attended the vigil, where poems were read and tears quietly fell in the glow of candlelight.

Jack and Lilly’s grandmother, Belynda Gary, read an emotional poem for the children.

“Wherever he’s at, I hope he knows he’s loved. I hope Lilly knows she’s loved,” she said. “Not give up. Not forget about this. Keep searching. Keep pushing for answers, because if we don’t push, it’s gonna go away.”

Daniel Martell, the children’s stepfather, said the gathering offered some comfort amid the uncertainty.

“I wish I was there for his fifth birthday,” he said. “But at least we have everyone gathered together to celebrate his birthday [which] is the main thing. We have a great community here, and everyone cares.”

RCMP Staff Sgt. Curtis Mackinnon, one of the five officers who volunteered their time to attend and speak at the vigil, said it was important for police to show their support.

“We’re a small-knit community,” he said. “It’s important for us to stay connected. The memorial site is out front of our office, and we see it every day. The members care, and they just want to be here to support everyone.”

Organizers say the memorial, which has stood outside the RCMP detachment since the children went missing, will soon be moved indoors for the winter.

“We wanted to get ahead of the public before they start wonder why it’s gone,” said Kent Corbett, a community member.

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