Missing teen found safe after search in wooded area in Cape Breton

RCMP located missing teen Mary (Molly) Martin after searching in a wooded area along Canoe Lake Road near Gabarus, N.S./Photo of helicopter by Stephen Brake

A 14-year-old girl from We’koqma’q First Nation in Nova Scotia who was missing for more than a week has been found safe.

According to a news release, RCMP Air Services reported a fire in an isolated location in the Canoe Lake area near Gabarus, N.S. at approximately 11:30 p.m. Friday. Officers on the ground made their way to the area where they found the missing teen and the man believed to be with her at 1 a.m. Saturday.

According to police, the pair were taken into custody without incident and taken out of the area. The teen was later released but the man remains in custody while the police continue their investigation.

Mary (Molly) Martin was first reported as missing on Aug. 14 after she was last seen in Eskasoni First Nation the previous day. At the time, the RCMP believed she was camping with an adult male.

RCMP later identified the man Martin was with as 47-year-old Darcy Doyle from Mira Gut, N.S.

Police narrowed the search to Canoe Lake Road area

Martin and Doyle were identified on video surveillance at a service station in the Sydney-Louisburg area on Aug. 13-14. Police followed up on reports the pair were spotted on an all-terrain vehicle in the Forchu area.

On Wednesday, the RCMP began working with the Nova Scotia Department of Lands and Forestry to conduct aerial searches by helicopter. The Cape Breton Regional Police also joined the search with its dog service unit.

On Thursday, police began narrowing their search for Martin and Doyle to the Canoe Lake area near Gabarus where they believed the pair was driving a green coloured ATV. Police located evidence of Martin and Doyle in the area which included a campsite and the ATV.

The search for Martin and Doyle continued throughout the day on Friday. A helicopter continued to circle the Canoe Lake Road area and two canine units with Cape Breton Regional Police were also at the search site. Police believed the two were travelling by foot in the wooded area.

Cape Breton Regional Police K-9 unit/Photo by Stephen Brake

Missing teen’s older brother, sister also searched for her

A small group of community members from We’koqma’q, including Martin’s family members, gathered at the entrance to Canoe Lake Road on Friday waiting for updates on the search for the Mi’kmaw teen.

Before Martin was found, her older sister and brother made a public plea for the teen’s safe return.

“Please come home, Molly,” David Martin, 17, said on Friday.

“Molly, please come home. We love you so much,” Nicole Martin, 18, added.

Nicole Martin said that she, her brother and her boyfriend have been searching for Molly since she went missing on Aug. 13. According to Martin, the teen was placed in a foster care home in nearby Eskasoni First Nation the same day she disappeared.

David and Nicole Martin from We’koqma’q First Nation, N.S. were at the search site at Canoe Lake Road near Gabarus on Aug. 21 waiting for word about the whereabouts of their sister, Molly/Photo by Stephen Brake

Nicole Martin said she was grateful for the community members who arrived at the search site to support her and her brother.

“I feel great about it, actually. I didn’t think this many people would come out and support us, Nicole Martin said. “I’m so thankful for our councillors and our community members that came out and helped us,” she added.

A We’koqma’q band councillor confirmed the chief and council were offering $5,000 reward for any information that led to the teen’s safe return. The same councillor also confirmed that Doyle had been banned from the First Nation community for “inappropriate behaviour.”


Thank you all for helping Ku’ku’kwes News reach its first funding goal of $1,500 USD per month. This means we can continue to provide you with at least two news stories per month. We’re now working towards our second funding goal. We need $1,585 more in monthly pledges/ subscriptions in order to reach our next funding goal of $4,000. If you enjoy our news coverage, please consider signing up for a monthly subscription. Go to Patreon.com/Kukukwes and become a monthly patron/subscriber.

About Maureen Googoo 270 Articles
Maureen Googoo is an award-winning journalist from Indian Brook First Nation (Sipekne'katik) in Nova Scotia. She has worked in news more than 30 years for media outlets such as CBC Radio, the Chronicle-Herald and the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network. Maureen has an arts degree in political science from Saint Mary's University in Halifax, a journalism degree from Ryerson University in Toronto and a Masters degree in journalism from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York City.