Sign up today to get daily, up-to-date news and views from Irish America. Woman Found Nearly One Month After Disappearance, Former Husband of Woman Whose Murder Remains Unsolved Is Now Accused of Assaulting Current Partner, 'I Lied': What Casey Anthony Believes Actually Happened to Her Daughter Caylee, Toddler Found Alive in Apartment After His Mother and Grandfather Were Shot to Death, The Mysterious Murder Victim Known as the 'Lady of the Dunes' Identified After Nearly 50 Years, Netflix Documentary Looks at Vanessa Guillen's Murder and Family's Fight for Answers from Military. [13][14] Police spokeswoman Elise Armacost announced that this discovery does not exclude Maskell from being a suspect in the case. Netflix's latest true-crime documentary The Keepers is a hit and everyone who has watched the series has only one question: who killed Sister Cathy Cesnik? He was well connected to the local community and to the police departments, at both the county and state levels. She wanted to do more than she was able to do within the confines of the order, Radakovic says. He and his friend and fellow priest, Peter McKeon, discovered Sister Cathys car parked at a strange angle across the street from her apartment. The last time Radakovic saw Cesnik alive, her older sister had returned home to Pittsburgh to explain to her family what she was thinking and her potential plans. . The homicide remains unsolved, and for decades Radakovic believed Cesnik was the victim of a wrong place, wrong time crime. In "The Keepers," Davidson said he called a radio show years later and said he had information about the case. In the 1990s, Jean Wehner came forward and alleged that Father Maskell had sexually abused her and allowed other men to do the same. Here's our quick guide to all the people in "The Keepers" you need to know. The investigation into her disappearance and death revealed rampant abuse at her place of employment, Keough High School, a prominent Catholic school in Baltimore, Maryland. Exposs on the Catholic Church have been steadily being released, with more and more people coming forward over time, but the Church refuses to make a clear statement in the case of A. Joseph Maskell. RELATED:Netflixs Tiger King: 15 Best Joe Exotic Quotes. More than 40 years after her death, the case of Sister Cathy Cesnik's murder is still unsolved. She had brown hair and brown eyes. As one of the Baltimore detectives who initially worked on the case, Nick Giangrasso, told a reporter for Huffington Post: 'The Catholic Church had a lot of input into the police department. Wehner, who reported her allegations about Maskell to the Baltimore Archdiocese in 1992, claimed that the only nun at the school who sought to help the abused girls was Sister Cathy. Cold cases", "About the BCoPD Cold Case Unit and the Sister Catherine Ann Cesnik Homicide", "Police: Exhumed Priest's DNA Does Not Match Evidence from Crime Scene Killing of Sister Cathy", "Priest's Body Exhumed from Randallstown Cemetery in Investigation of Baltimore Nun's Decades-Old Killing", "The Dead Nun, the School Sex Scandal, and the Amateur Detectives Fighting for Justice", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Murder_of_Catherine_Cesnik&oldid=1117759661, This page was last edited on 23 October 2022, at 12:23. And she has not stopped looking into the murder of her former teacher. Her hope clung to a strange letter she had received in the mail, apparently sent by Cesnik and postmarked the day after she went missing. He was never charged with Sister Cathys murder. ', 'Before I knew it, there was a big man on top of me and then I thought that would be it and another policeman came in and I could hear Maskell in the distance talking and laughing. [7], In 2017, CBS Baltimore reported allegations from three women that during Cesnik's tenure at Archbishop Keough High School, two of the priests, Joseph Maskell and E. Neil Magnus, were sexually abusing the girls at the school in addition to trafficking them to others. Though the documentary includes much of the story, director Ryan White doesnt include every piece of evidence, and some of the most crucial information gets left out. But some thirty women soon came forward with accounts of sexual abuse at the school. Also Read: 'The Keepers': Sister Cathy's Medical Examiner Also Worked on JFK, JonBenet Ramsey Cases. Well, its funny how you asked that because I never saw it as taking on the Catholic Church. She may have made a purchase at Muhly's Bakery in Edmondson Village, since a box of buns from that bakery was found in the front seat of her car. I think he's dead, but I may be wrong. Bill Hughes is a Baltimore-based author, actor and photojournalist. Among the other errands she ran that night, Cesnik was also looking to buy a present for her sister. No one, not even fellow Keough graduates, knew that Jean Hargadon-Wehner was the so-called "Jane Doe" who came forward in the early 1990's and accused the Archdiocese of Baltimore of allowing the abuse to continue. If you were part of the Facebookgroup, people got to know us very well. Later in 1994, authorities exhumed boxes Maskell had buried in a Baltimore cemetery and found one to contain child pornography. Caine says the church believes Maskell who overlapped with Cesnik while at Keough, where he worked as the school chaplain and counselor from 1967 to 1975. was sexually abusive. Nugent reported that three Keough graduates, who each received settlements from the Archdiocese of Baltimore for injuries of $40,000 or more as parties to this case, during the past years have told Inside Baltimore that they were also raped by policemen with the approval of the depraved Father Maskell. Search from Sister Cathy Cesnik stock photos, pictures and royalty-free images from iStock. He was a reporter for the Baltimore Sun and has written investigative reports for Mother Jones, the Chicago Tribune and the Washington Post. ', Sister Cathy was reportedly counseling an abuse victim earlier on the day she went missing and many believe she was murdered before she could report the crimes, People close to the nun believethat Sister Cathy had 'confronted' Maskell 'and she lost her life for it'. Brother BobA third abuser who "Jane Doe" remembers from her days at Keough, but whose face she cannot recall. Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. The tour features the Pic of Day: There was more disruption at Dublin Airport Thursday due to a drone sighting, one of half a dozen such incidents in recent weeks. Joyce MaleckiThe 20-year-old Baltimore woman went missing on Nov. 11, 1969. Sister Cathy's battered body - she had been beaten over the head - was discovered . [5] On November 7, 1969, she left the apartment she shared with Helen Russell Phillips at the Carriage House Apartments, at 131 North Bend Road in Catonsville, en route to the Edmondson Village Shopping Center to purchase a gift for her sister's engagement at Hecht's jewelry store. The reward is up to $7,000 for informati. Because no criminal charges were leveled against Maskell, Wehner and Lancaster became plaintiffs in the 1994 lawsuit against Maskell and the archdiocese. When her daughter was born five years after that, Radakovic named her Catherine. At this point, Im so disenchanted with my church its really disappointing. She was just 26 at the time of her death. Netflix's documentary series "The Keepers" dives into the case and uncovers a web of abuse that may . They encourage everyone reading this to question everything, stay hydrated, and treat others with kindness. Catherine Anne Cesnik SSND (born November 17, 1942; disappeared November 7, 1969) was an American Catholic religious sister who taught English and drama at Archbishop Keough High School in Baltimore, Maryland. She thought she had more potential than they were allowing.. A writ of certiorari was granted by the Maryland Court of Appeals, which upheld the lower court decision, ruling in part, "that the mental process of repression of memories of past sexual abuse does not activate the discovery rule. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. I hope this documentary can be a tool of healing, but its about to be very triggering for the survivors, saidWhite. Do not sell or share my personal information. On November 7, 1969, Cathy Cesnik left her apartment in Catonsville to buy an engagement gift for her sister. It remained shrouded in mystery until those close to Sister Cathy started sharing their experiences and theories last year, They were told to 'stop harassing him,' he said. She also talked about what happened after Sister Cathy found out about it. 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They did stuff. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. That means Father Maskell was somehow involved. "Our best hope for solving this case at this point lies with the people who are still alive. I mean, its a survivor story at its core. The Maryland Attorney Generals office has been investigating sexual abuse in the catholic church for nearly four years. 'The Keepers' Update: New DNA Evidence Found In Sister Cathy Cesniks Murder Case, Amy Robach and T.J. 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She was not part of the 1994 lawsuit but came forward later. [11] Cesnik's body was not found until January 3, 1970, and its discovery by two hunters was not in the wooded location near Fort Meade, but on the open hill trash dump of a small business property in Lansdowne. Days later, after an engagement party with her then-fiancs family, Radakovic got a call from her mother. He refuses to be identified, allegedly because he fears reprisals from people responsible for the cover-up of Sister Cathy's death and Maskell's abuse. And the oldest was in her 20's.. White describes Radakovic as very brave, very outspoken, very direct and now, I would say, very, very driven to get answers.. The girl left but the next day, she later claimed, Maskell waved a gun at her, warning he'd kill her and her family if she revealed the abuse. This is presumed to be the source of the DNA sample found at the murder scene, but Ryan White knows theres even more that Baltimore County Police arent saying. Meteorological records also reveal that temperatures during the week in question were warm enough for maggots to hatch. Both women have said that she was the only member of the school's staff who helped them and other girls abused by Maskell, et al., and have said that she was murdered prior to discussing the matter with the archdiocese of Baltimore. Read aloud by Cesnik's younger sister Marilyn Cesnik Radakovic, the poem is a glimpse at the inner life of the young woman whose tragic death was the focus of the series. His remains were exhumed in February of this year and reports in recent days have stated that a DNA sample from Maskell was not a match from a DNA sample retrieved from evidence from the murder scene in 1969. This family evidence of anger problems, assaults on others, using a position of power over others to avoid punishment, and the assault on a young woman much like Sister Cathy all point towards a potential pre-existing rage in A. Joseph Maskell that nobody has ever explored. Viewers of The Keepers do not fondly reflect on Sharon May, the prosecutor in charge of the Maryland State Attorneys Office Sex Abuse Unit. James Maskell, A. Joseph Maskells uncle, is a similarly powerful and threatening figure that deserves to be prodded harder. Those who knew her at the time said that she wouldn't allow any conversation about Cesnik's death, saying that was her life before, and that she now had a new life. The Keepers will premiere on Netflix on May 19. The case remains open and unsolved. [4] Cesnik had three siblings. Ryan White's aunt attended Archbishop Keough High School, and had stayed in touch with Jean Hargadon-Wehner. But its not about popularity, its about the impact My hope is that we can have a fraction of that popularitythat leads to justice. As time would tell, she had good reason to keep quiet. The series also renewed the investigations into the murders of two women, Sister Cathy Cesnik and Joyce Malecki. They have internal records on everyone including A. Joseph Maskell. Her case is similar to Sister Cathys both women disappeared from the same area in the city, both were found in isolated areas not far from one another, both died around the same time in November, and both had marks on their necks that indicated choking. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Sister Helen Russell PhillipsSister Cathy's roommate in 1969 when she disappeared. I mean, my mother loved eating chocolate, and I remember distinctly my mother said, Im gonna give up chocolate until Cathy comes home and then Im gonna eat chocolate until I get sick. . Her body was found in Lansdowne, south of Baltimore,. NEXT:10 Creepy Documentaries To Watch If You Loved The Keepers. Cesnik was found on a freezing January day in 1970 in Baltimore County, nearly two months after she vanished near her apartment. As it turned out, he had close ties to the police: his brother was a lieutenant, and Maskell was chaplain for the Baltimore County force, along with the state police and the Maryland National Guard. Every bit of it, vividly. Radakovic was Cesnik's younger sister. However, they say theres nothing, even though Jean Wehner found many victims willing to come forward simply by sending out letters in the mail. On the show, we see how long its been taking to get the FBI to honor the requests for documentation under the Freedom of Information Act. Hoskins did write about her theory on the killer in her book "Keeping On: How I came To Know Why I Was Born.. More than 40 years after her death, the case of Sister Cathy Cesnik's murder is still unsolved. This is huge news regarding Sister Cathy's case. Today, almost a half-century later, the murder of Sister Cathy who was once compared to Julie Andrews' character in 'The Sound of Music' because of her beauty and bubbly personality is still one of law enforcement's most mysterious cold cases. In The Keepers another Keough graduate - Jean Hargadon-Wehner - talked on camera about her abuse by two priests, Neil Magnus and Joseph Maskell, and other men at the school. The trial court dismissed the action as time-barred by the statute of limitations. The next time the young nun was seen, it was by a female student from Cesnik's school, Archbishop Keough High School. I ran over, bent down and began wiping maggots off her face. Its important to take this confession from Koob with a grain of salt, as he is proven in the show to be less than the most reliable of witnesses, but, as White says, I dont know where the truth lies.. Cesnik attended St. Mary's School on 57th Street and St. Augustine High School, both in Lawrenceville. Her unsolved murder served as the basis for the Netflix documentary series The Keepers in 2017. This seven-episode docuseries explores the still-unsolved murder of Sister Cathy Cesnik, a teacher at Archbishop Keough High School in Baltimore, Maryland. Moreover, she said that along with the priest, she was abused by police officers. According to CNN, Bode Cellmark Forensics laboratory in Lorton, Virginia was responsible for comparing the DNA to the sample from the murder scene. Jean is the most incredible survivor that Ive ever witnessed. Cesnik felt called by God to be a nun, her sister says, and she had a gift for teaching. I dont know how they do it I dont think she knows. A lack of information about his life at the time has made deeper research difficult; however, viewers now know that Robert Flaherty was accused in a separate sex abuse scandal, as well. He died in 2006. Kathy HobeckIn addition to Wehner and Lancaster, Kathy Hobeck is one of six abuse victims who appears in "The Keepers." White is unconvinced that the DNA found at the scene on a cigarette butt would match A. Joseph Maskells DNA, but he remains positive that, eventually, someone will catch whoever murdered Sister Cathy and theyll finally figure out why. More than 40 years after her death, the case of Sister Cathy Cesnik's murder is still unsolved. "The Keepers" premieres on Netflix May 19. Sister Cathy was a teacher at Archbishop Keough High School and went missing in Baltimore in 1969. Sharon May states firmly and rudely in her interview that she had absolutely no involvement in any sort of cover-up. Were you scared of taking on the Catholic Church? SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY NEWSLETTER, FIRST TAKE, 'The Keepers' Filmmaker: Father Maskell Abused 40 Victims, Not Just the 6 in Netflix's Doc. The only way to do that was to find people who were involved. Stirred to action, the Police exhumed the remains of A. Joseph Maskell, the former priest accused of murdering Sister Cathy, and took a DNA sample to test against DNA found at the murder scene. I never grew up knowing her teacher had been murdered. Nov. 11-13, 1969: Joyce Malecki Is Killed. Maskell denied involvement in any form of abuse. There is no word on whether the Attorney General's investigators will gain access to those records. Since then, he's been tracking and investigating the story over the years and is one of the investigators of her death in "The Keepers.". Gemma Hoskins has helped dozens of victims get in touch with their investigators. Nine months later, when Radakovic got married, she didnt throw her bouquet, instead leading everyone to the cemetery to put the bouquet on Cesniks grave. Mine isdifferent than Gemmas theory, but we were all looking at the various versions of the truth and deciding what we believed was true. I have very little doubt at the finish line. Sister Cathy went missing on Nov. 7, 1969, but her body was only discovered on Jan. 3, 1970. And although the seven-episode seriesexplores through its lead investigators Gemma Hoskins and Abbie Schaub three main suspects, including Father Maskell, who diedin 2001, White does havehis own theory on who abducted and murdered the nun. Nearly 10 years ago the filmmakers started to meet with her; this was long before Netflix got involved. [12] After obtaining permission from the state's attorney's office, the BCPD exhumed the body of Maskell, who died of a major stroke in 2001, but did not find a DNA match to evidence from the crime scene. There are countless untold stories backing up the accusations made against A. Joseph Maskell and the Catholic Church that the docuseries doesnt even begin to explore. Something has happened to your sister. . One of those calls went to a retired Baltimore County teacher, Gemma Hoskins. 'After that we had to break away from him. Netflix's documentary series "The Keepers" dives into the case and uncovers a web of abuse that may be the source of a cover up and the murder. She was a member of the Keough class of 1971. Her mutilated remains were found on January 1970 and her murder is still unsolved. I think it's pretty undeniable by the end of The Keepers that they are, and Jean is the nexus of that, White said. According to published sources, at least two students at Keough were shown the body of Sister Cathy by Father Maskell himself. In the process of cleaning out her belongings, Radakovic discovered her mom had collected years of articles about the death of her eldest daughter, Radakovics sister, 26-year-old nun Sister Catherine Cathy Cesnik. On January 3, 1970, the decomposed body of Sister Catherine Ann Cesnik was discovered at a dumping area on Monumental Avenue in Halethorpe, 21227. Sister Cathy was a teacher at Archbishop Keough High School and went missing in Baltimore in 1969. And you know it really just began as us with our camera, taking these trips to Baltimore not knowing that it would ever even become anything.. ", court of Appeals of Maryland, No. He was never charged. He spearheaded the project because of his personal connection to Sister Catherine Cesnik, a nun who was found murdered in January of 1970 and who serves as the centerpiece of the true crime series. Beginning tonight, Netflix viewers will be able to view all seven episodes of a series entitled, The Keepers., The documentary was produced by Ryan White. I would hang on to her, and she was like, Youre gonna get me thrown out! , And shed tell Cesnik, Thats what Im trying to do, Cathy, Im trying to do. Id say to my dad, Get the car, well steal her. . Frightened and feeling threatened by the strapping, dominating clergyman who was popular with churchgoers for his Sunday masses the girl decided to keep secret her gruesome discovery. Still wondering what happened to Baltimore's Sister Cathy? Netflix's documentary series "The Keepers" dives into the case and uncovers a web of abuse.