The podcast titled Missing and Murdered follows the disappearance of Indigenous women for the past several decades. It is aired by CBC radio and hosted by Connie Walker, who herself is an Indigenous woman from rural Saskatchewan. Evidently, this search for justice is imperative to Walker and would explain the dangerous circumstances she puts herself in throughout the podcast. Currently on the second season, Missing and Murdered focuses on cases that have been largely forgotten about until families of the victims contact Walker, hoping that she can investigate and solve what has been left on the back burner for years.
The podcast shines a light on a prevalent issue in which even the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to investigate. Indigenous women are targeted due to their racial identity and our justice system fails to provide them a sense of equality. Within the podcast, Walker discusses statistics indicating that Indigenous women are being reported missing or murdered at an alarming rate. She also addresses issues such as ‘the sixties scoop,’ during which Indigenous children were taken away from their families and placed into foster or adopted homes. In fact, the second season of Missing and Murdered focuses on a case directly from the sixties scoop. The victim known as Cleo was taken from her home in Canada and sent to an adoptive home in America shortly after. Cleo’s family contacts Walker in hopes of being able to find Cleo’s whereabouts four decades later. Keeping in mind all of the women being displaced, CBC has opened up a database for all the unsolved cases concerning Indigenous women. This database includes photos, details, and even locations of when these women were last seen.
Missing and Murdered is a podcast ideal for listeners who are interested in seeing out investigations. While Walker aims to educate the listener on Indigenous rights, her attempts at solving the case will leave you on the edge of your seat. From contacting adoption services in America to questioning suspected murderers with no warning, Connie Walker will go to any length to help solve these forgotten cases. A podcast that tackles Canada’s problematic history and one that keeps me on my toes, Missing and Murdered is a great listen for those interested in the suspense and the education.
