Stepfather of missing Nova Scotia children charged with sexually assaulting an adult

By Canadian Press on January 29, 2026.

HALIFAX — Nova Scotia RCMP say the stepfather of two children who were reported missing more than eight months ago has been charged with sexual assault, assault and forcible confinement involving an adult victim.

The Mounties confirmed that 34-year-old Daniel Martell of Lansdowne, N.S., was arrested on Monday morning by officers with the Pictou County detachment.

Police say he is expected to appear in Pictou provincial court on March 2.

No other details were released and Martell was not immediately available for comment.

On May 2, Martell’s common-law partner, Malehya Brooks-Murray, called 911 to report that two of her children — five-year-old Jack Sullivan and his six-year-old sister Lilly Sullivan — had wandered away from their rural home north of Halifax.

Despite several extensive ground and air searches, including a search in October using cadaver dogs, few clues have been detected to indicate what happened to Lilly and Jack after they left their rural home in Lansdowne Station.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 29, 2026.

The Canadian Press