Real Names: Bernard and Calvin Seaton
Case: Lost Siblings
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date: 1969
Case[]
Details: Sandra Seaton-Henry is a native of an Ojibwe Indian Reservation in Ontario, Canada. She was one of six children. Her father was an alcoholic who often beat her mother, Myrna. In 1969, he was barred from the house by court order. Myrna was forced to take work as a food vendor with a traveling carnival. When she had to leave for three weeks, she asked a babysitter to watch over the children. However, the babysitter eventually left and the children were alone.
A welfare worker arrived a few days later and took the children away. On October 25, 1969, Myrna was summoned before a Winnipeg court. She, like many Ojibwe parents, was intimidated by the court hearings. The judge decided that the children should be placed with the child welfare department. All were either adopted or sent to foster homes.
From the start, Sandra tried to get her family back. In 1971, she was reunited with her sisters, Wanda and Brenda. In 1988, they found their brother, Chesley, who had been adopted in the United States. Along the way, they also found Myrna, who has joined in the search for the remaining siblings. As of yet, they have been unable to locate their two younger brothers, Bernie and Calvin.
Extra Notes: This case first aired on the February 9, 1993 episode, along with that of Maureen Keewatincappo.
Reunion of the Seaton Family
Results: Solved. On the night the broadcast aired in Canada, Bernie's adoptive parents and one of Calvin's former foster mothers were watching. With their help, Sandra was soon put in touch with her them. Bernie's name is now Bernie Hawley and Calvin's is now Tony Tavolino. They were reunited with Sandra and the rest of their family on March 4, 1993.
Links:
- TV solves mystery
- First Nations in the first person: Telling stories & changing lives - July 2, 2018