Overview of S2 Episode 10: Cleo’s letters
This episode of Missing and Murdered: Finding Cleo (S2 E10 — "Cleo’s letters") — hosted by Connie Walker — reconstructs the last weeks and final day of Cleopatra “Cleo” Madonia (age 13, Plains Cree), primarily through the handwritten letters she exchanged with her best friend Lori, police interviews, and testimony from teachers and family. The episode uses those letters to humanize Cleo, documents the police investigation into her December 22, 1978 death (ruled a suicide), and situates her story within the trauma of the Sixties Scoop — the forced removal and adoption of Indigenous children.
Key points and main takeaways
- Cleo’s letters to her friend Lori show a bright, complex 13‑year‑old: academically capable, socially typical (music, crushes, plans to run away), but deeply distressed about being adopted and separated from her birth family in Saskatchewan.
- On December 22, 1978 Cleo was found dead in her bedroom from a gunshot wound. Police located a .38 revolver in the room and several notes (one on the desk read “I am sorry. I love Miss Mazzetti and Miss Horn.”).
- The official investigation concluded suicide and the case was closed after leads were exhausted.
- Evidence shows no drugs or alcohol in Cleo’s system. She had been suspended from school for bringing alcohol; teachers and classmates reported she’d tried to run away before and was infatuated with a much older man, Barry Arnold (24), who claimed limited contact but later was convicted in an unrelated sexual‑interference case years later.
- The episode emphasizes the longstanding emotional impact on Cleo’s surviving siblings and the cultural context: Cleo’s anguish over being removed from her community is a direct outcome of the Sixties Scoop.
Timeline (critical dates & events)
- November–December 1978: Cleo writes frequent letters to Lori about school, boys (notably “Barry”), plans to run away, and longing to return to Canada.
- Week before Dec 22, 1978: Cleo suspended from school for alcohol brought by students; still sends Christmas gifts to her teachers.
- Dec 22, 1978 (day of death):
- Cleo is at home alone for part of the day.
- Cleo’s mother attempts to call; teachers also call and speak with Cleo midday.
- Cleo’s brother Louis sees her wearing his jacket, later finds the jacket in a creek (says Cleo threw it there).
- Cleo is found dead upstairs by her mother; a revolver is under a chair; several notes found in room/trash/sock.
- Post‑incident: Police interview family, friends, teachers, and Barry Arnold; case ruled suicide and closed.
People mentioned
- Cleo (Cleopatra) Madonia — 13, Plains Cree, adopted into the Madonia family, academically bright, emotionally distressed about being separated from birth family.
- Lori Montgomery — Cleo’s best friend and primary recipient of Cleo’s letters (later died in a car accident).
- Louise (Leonore) Madonia — Cleo’s adoptive mother (found the body).
- Louis (Lewis) Madonia — Cleo’s teenage brother (15) who saw her before death and found his jacket in creek.
- Miss Mazzetti and Miss Horn — Cleo’s teachers in a special/basic studies class; both received gifts from her and spoke warmly of her.
- Detective Edward Brown — lead investigator on the case.
- Barry Arnold — man in his mid‑20s who met Cleo during a school fundraiser; described inconsistently in interviews; later charged (years afterward) with sexual interference in a different case.
- Connie Walker — host/researcher who reopens the story and meets surviving family.
Key evidence & investigative findings
- Scene: tidy room, no signs of struggle; revolver (.38) found under a chair; folded note under victim’s upper right leg; yellow paper with three phone numbers inside right sock; torn note to “Barry” in bathroom trash.
- Notes: a brief suicide note on the desk — “I am sorry. I love Miss Mazzetti and Miss Horn.” A separate unfinished note to Barry was found in the trash.
- Jacket: Cleo was seen wearing her brother’s jacket near a nearby school parking lot; brother later recovered the jacket from a creek.
- Toxicology: no alcohol or drugs detected.
- Police conclusion: death ruled suicide; case cleared and closed when leads were exhausted.
Themes and context
- Sixties Scoop / forced removals: Cleo’s letters and teacher testimony show persistent grief and identity distress over being separated from her birth family in Saskatchewan. This context is presented as central to understanding her turmoil.
- Vulnerability of Indigenous children: the episode frames Cleo’s experience as part of broader historical trauma and the consequences of colonial policies that placed Indigenous children in non‑Indigenous homes and communities.
- Adolescent vulnerability: factors include young age, association with an older man, school trouble, and prior runaway attempts.
Notable quotes
- From Cleo (reported): “The government had no right to do this.” — used in the episode as a powerful encapsulation of her feeling about being removed from family.
- Suicide note: “I am sorry. I love Miss Mazzetti and Miss Horn.”
- Teacher’s memory: Miss Horn remembered Cleo as “sweet,” “needy,” and someone who “needed so much from the adults around her.”
Unanswered questions / open issues
- Motive and immediate trigger: while police ruled suicide, the episode highlights unresolved questions about what exactly happened in the hours between midday phone calls and her death.
- Why was Cleo wearing her brother’s jacket at the nearby school lot? Did she attempt to leave town that day or make contact with someone waiting to help her?
- Nature and extent of Cleo’s relationship with Barry Arnold: police interviews show inconsistencies; later unrelated charges against Barry raise concerns but do not establish a link to Cleo’s death.
- Whether the adoptive parents or the adoption agency could have done more to reconnect Cleo with her birth family — and how systemic barriers operated then.
Emotional & historical impact
- The episode ties an individual tragedy to collective trauma: Cleo’s loss of identity, repeated runaway attempts, and death are presented as a microcosm of harms inflicted by the Sixties Scoop.
- Family closure: Connie Walker accompanies siblings to visit Cleo’s grave; reconnecting with surviving kin and learning Cleo’s story provides emotional closure and affirms her identity for future generations.
Where to learn more
- Full series and episode resources: cbc.ca/findingcleo (episode pages and credits).
- Broader context on the Sixties Scoop and Indigenous child welfare history in Canada: search CBC resources and Indigenous advocacy organizations for historical documentation and support resources.
Final thought
This episode uses Cleo’s own letters to restore voice and complexity to a young life overshadowed by systemic policy and personal hardship. It documents an investigation that closed on a suicide ruling while raising broader questions about how social systems failed a child who repeatedly expressed longing for her birth family.