Baltimore nun Cathy Cesnik, 26, vanished while out on a shopping trip in November 7, 1969. 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. The show is responsible for initiating a deeper look into the case of A. Joseph Maskell and Sister Cathy Cesnik, as Baltimore County Police start investigating again due to a public outcry. And we hope that someone will be able to come forward with conclusive information about the murder. A retired, unnamed police homicide detective revealed to Nugent that the church authorities had allegedly used influence to impede the police investigation into Sister Cathys murder. As documentary-maker Ryan White asserted: 'What we discovered during the filmmaking process is that everything wasn't as it appeared to be. Around the same time as Cesnik's disappearance, a 29-year-old woman named Joyce Malecki also went missing and was found dead two days later. The church has denied the charges, but it has settled dozens of sexual abuse cases in the matter of Father Maskell. ', One former student, Teresa Lancaster, told WJZ-TV in Baltimore, that Sister Cathy had 'confronted' Maskell 'and she lost her life for it. On January 3, 1970, the decomposed body of Sister Catherine Ann Cesnik was discovered at a dumping area on Monumental Avenue in Halethorpe, 21227. 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. Still wondering what happened to Baltimore's Sister Cathy? 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. But hes only willing to share a slice of it. Koob says that he and McKeon went to the movie "Easy Rider" the night of Sister Cathy's disappearance. White tells us there is some dogged reporting happening right now in Ireland, digging deeper into the time that A. Joseph Maskell spent there, in addition to his time spent in the United States. One of the most frustrating aspects of being a true crime fan is dealing with endless cover-ups from authorities and government entities, like police and the FBI. In the immediate aftermath, as they made preparations for her funeral, Radakovic was given a piece of advice by the head of Cesniks convent: It is your job, Marilyn, to always keep Cathy alive. Her body was found in a wooded area two days later. But some thirty women soon came forward with accounts of sexual abuse at the school. I told her, everyone is going to recognize you and youregoing to be the worst PIin the world! Look, my mom and my aunt are women in Baltimore, so Gemma in a way is my mom and my aunt shes so much like them, and I hope The Keepers doesnt get relegated to another crime story in Baltimore. Stuff being crimes, and they're walking around.. But reading through her mothers things the 2015 Huffington Post story was the first clipping she found Radakovic learned about the swirl of rumors and theories that still surrounds Cesniks death. Marilyn Cesnik RadakovicSister Cathy's younger sister, who joins the investigation with Hoskins and Schaub during "The Keepers.". What the show doesnt get into is that the FBI has pushed back the date even further now. White: My access point was personal connection: My aunt went to Archbishop Keough High School and was Sister Cathys student, so she always had a personal connection. Published: 15:36 EST, 18 May 2017 | Updated: 16:14 EST, 18 May 2017, A New York Times bestselling author Jerry Oppenheimer latest book, 'The Kardashians: An American Drama,' will be published in September. Find out what it is in TheWraps Q&A with White below. ', The cop, who died in 2009, said it was a shame because he was certain the priest 'knew more than he was telling. Netflix's documentary series "The Keepers" dives into the case and uncovers a web of abuse that may . He wrote that the evidence, all circumstantial, shows that Sister Cathy was probably killed because she was ready to blow the whistle on widespread sex abuse at Keough by Father Maskell and others, in the late 1960s. Detective Gary ChildsBaltimore County Police Detective Childs is assigned to the cold case file for Sister Cathy's murder at the time of "The Keepers. (Handout photo courtesy of Netflix) Catherine Cesnik, a 26-year-old. He would eventually commit suicide. The more peoplewatch it, the more information will come out of the woodwork. Among the other errands she ran that night, Cesnik was also looking to buy a present for her sister. This seven-episode docuseries explores the still-unsolved murder of Sister Cathy Cesnik, a teacher at Archbishop Keough High School in Baltimore, Maryland. Beverly WallaceThe attorney for "Jane Doe" and "Jane Roe" in the 1994 lawsuit against Maskell and the archdiocese. It started with a freelance journalist, Tom Nugent. Tom Nugent, author of the acclaimed Death at Buffalo Creek, and an investigative journalist, has been writing about Sister Cathys case since 1994, and recently in his online publication, Inside Baltimore.. We shared a room until she went into the convent. He claims he interviewed more than 100 girls in the case who knew of or were involved in sexual abuse. The series also renewed the investigations into the murders of two women, Sister Cathy Cesnik and Joyce Malecki. - May 30, 2017 05:42 pm EDT. [5], In the fall of 1969, Cesnik was teaching drama and English at Archbishop Keough High School in Baltimore, Maryland,[6] a school for girls that had opened in 1965. She believes they might contain the names of people who were complicit in his crimes, or in covering them up. She didnt know Jeanhad gone through that abuse. In the end, The Keepers doesnt solve its biggest question: Who killed Sister Cathy? [15] The series features interviews with women who were Cesnik's students, with some who say they were sexually abused by Maskell and others.[16]. Sister Cathy Cesnik's disappearance and murder remain an unsolved mystery. The Baltimore archdiocese has had its own extensive, and very expensive, pedophile priest sexual abuse scandal to deal with in recent years. On January 3, 1970, her body was found by a hunter and his son in an informal landfill located on the 2100 block of Monumental Road, in a remote area of Lansdowne. And the oldest was in her 20's.. [6], Immediately after Cesnik's disappearance, police searched the area for her body without success. Meanwhile, Baltimore city homicide detectives are continuing. Nearly 20 years ago, Nugent had been calling many former students from the now-closed Archbishop Keough High School, for a story on Sister Cesnik, who was murdered in 1969. One of the major theories that The Keepers hypothesizes is that Maskell either killed Sister Cathy or had her killed. According to published sources, at least two students at Keough were shown the body of Sister Cathy by Father Maskell himself. 'After that we had to break away from him. ', '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. White can only say this about it: Her story is chilling.. Her mutilated remains were found on January 1970 and her murder is still unsolved. One of them, Jean Wehner, was the student who claimed Maskell had taken her to view Cesnik's body in the dump. Netflix's documentary series "The Keepers" dives into the case and uncovers a web of abuse. More than 40 years after her death, the case of Sister Cathy Cesnik's murder is still unsolved. His aunt was also friends with Jean Wehner, one of multiple people in the documentarywho say they were sexually abused by Father Joseph Maskell in the Baltimore, Maryland area. In 1994, two women identified only as 'Jane Doe' and 'Jane Roe' alleged that Maskell had raped them when they were students at Sister Cathy's school. In the 1990s, Jean Wehner came forward and alleged that Father Maskell had sexually abused her and allowed other men to do the same. 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. Cesniks body was found on Jan. 3, 1970. She said, You need to come home right away. [2] Her paternal grandparents, John (Jan) and Johanna Tomec esnik, were Slovenians who emigrated from Yugoslavia,[3] while her maternal grandfather, Joseph Omulac, came from Yugoslavia and maternal grandmother, Martha Hudok, came from Austria. The Huffington Post reported that Maskell told Wehner, "You see what happens when you say bad things about people?"[1]. Supposedly, according to White and Jean Wehner, the Archdiocese opened an investigation into A. Joseph Maskell, and so, those records should exist. 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. Mom Found Next to Her Car with Toddler Son Inside, Wife Wrote 'Letter from the Grave' Before 2008 Death Now Husband Is Guilty of Poisoning Her with Antifreeze, Body of Missing Md. 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. ', While the murder of Sister Cathy is in the forefront of the series, White noted that there were other crimes 'happening before and after, and still filter down to today and may be linked to her murder.'. They filed a $40 million civil lawsuit against him, the Baltimore Archdiocese, the sisters who ran the school, and a local gynecologist. But when he was questioned by the police, he had an ironclad alibi for the night of Sister Cathy's disappearance. 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. My access point was a personal connection: My aunt went to Archbishop Keough High School and was Sister Cathys student, White told TheWrap. 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. People walked to suicide, people are still hiding and keeping their secrets, and I think all of the survivors recognize the power in numbers. When she realized Sister Cathy was missing, she called Koob, and together with him and McKeon, the three later called the police. According to the autopsy, she had been struck on the back of her head by either a hammer or a brick, there was a hole the size of a quarter in her skull , and there were strangulation marks on her neck. We know this speculation about the circumstances is not false, because Jean Hargadon Wehner tells us in the show that she has evidence proving otherwise. Either way, theyre lying and withholding information that would be helpful to the case. However, this is a small step towards justice. Tweet. Netflix documentary series explores the 1970 murder of Sister Catherine Cesnik. Michigan honor roll student, 17, shot dead by 14 and 13-year-olds in attempted carjacking after he offered them a ride during subzero temperatures - juveniles will be tried as adults, Britney Spears warned by animal control after Doberman named 'Porsha' trained to protect her from 'any motherf****r with bad intentions' escaped $7.4 million California home and bit elderly man, Man, 80, is killed and three others are injured in 'horrific' San Antonio pit bull dog attack: Firefighters are forced to use pickaxes and metal poles to fight off the savage animals, Headless body of missing model, 28, is found dismembered in fridge in house of horrors in Hong Kong that had been converted into 'butchers shop' as police arrest her ex-husband and father-in-law, What COULD aliens look like? She was valedictorian at the graduation of her high school class in 1960, after being the May Queen and the president of the senior class and the student council. It deals with, among other subjects, the unsolved brutal murder on November 7, 1969, of a popular nun, Sister Catherine Ann Cesnik, known to many as simply "Sister Cathy.". I wont tell you my theory, but I will say: I believe Jean, and I have corroboratedJean, that this is a woman who was telling the truth from the beginning. They say they were trying to find enough evidence for viewers to conclude that the nun's murder, and the sexual abuse must be related. Were you scared of taking on the Catholic Church? Sister Cathy went missing on Nov. 7, 1969, but her body was only discovered on Jan. 3, 1970. Though White says he included absolutely all the information he knew in the documentary, he did contradict himself later by saying, The project was heavily vetted by lawyers there were times when I believed we knew somebody that was involved in the abuse, but we couldn't include a name for legal reasons. True crime buffs will know that this often happens, that the law tangles everything up in red tape so details like names and dates will be removed from stories. Meteorological records also reveal that temperatures during the week in question were warm enough for maggots to hatch. As in, a three-year-old who remembers it. NEXT:10 Creepy Documentaries To Watch If You Loved The Keepers. I hope this documentary can be a tool of healing, but its about to be very triggering for the survivors, saidWhite. They have another project scheduled to come out later this year. On May 17, the Baltimore Sun reported that his DNA did not match a sample that was taken. RELATED:16 TV Shows Too Disturbing To Binge-Watch, Most dont believe Gerry Koob when he talks, but a member of the police force, Detective Roemer, claimed that Koob confessed to having a sexual relationship with Sister Cathy before her disappearance. The comments below have not been moderated. Maskell denied involvement in any form of abuse. She was comfortablewith that the long length of production actuallyhelped her comfort level. In fact, people around the world were so distraught at learning about Sister Cathys case that they started flooding the Baltimore County Police with calls. It was early 2016 and the couple was at the California apartment of Radakovics mother, who had recently died. She suffered blunt force trauma to her head and the case remains open to this day. Together, she and Hoskins started the Justice for Catherine Cesnik and Joyce Malecki Facebook page in 2013 to try to solve the case, which has become a network of Keough alumni and abuse survivors. And I no longer need to have validation from others about what I witnessed during the crimes that were committed against me and others., The victim added that the archdiocese of Baltimore has been hiding behind the statute of limitations.. At this point, Im so disenchanted with my church its really disappointing. Though, of course, they insist theyre doing everything they can to help victims of abuse, on the subject of Maskell, they remain as vague and unhelpful as ever. 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. Despite the fact that Father Maskell's DNA does not match the DNA found at the crime scene, Armacost notes that the results don't necessarily clear him as a suspect. 102, September Term 1995, "Baltimore Archdiocese Pays Settlements to a Dozen People Alleging Abuse by Late Priest", "Netflix's 'The Keepers' generates interest in other Md. Gemma HoskinsA former Keough student who had Sister Cathy as a teacher before her death, Hoskins teamed with Abbie Schaub nearly 45 years later, in 2013, to try to solve the nuns murder. What we tried to do in the editing was present all various narratives. 'Father Maskell picked me up, took me to a wooded area where there was a lot of policemen gathered around, he left me in the backseat and two policemen abused me while Maskell stood next to the car. v. A. Joseph Maskell et al. Play it now! 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. We still remain optimistic that its possible for us to clear this case, Armacost says. For the next 47 years, the case went unsolved until now. [8], In 1995, Teresa Lancaster and Jean Wehner (ne Hargadon), former students at Keough who say they were sexually abused by Maskell, filed a lawsuit against him, the school, gynecologist Christian Richter, the School Sisters of Notre Dame, the Archdiocese of Baltimore, and William H. Keeler. Whats worse than considering the fact that A. Joseph Maskell terrorized one community? The documentary investigates whether Maskell had. I'm not going to name names right now but they know stuff. Whats really funny about Gemma, shes taking criminologyclasses right now which I find hilarious. She also thinks Sister Cathy was murdered because she knew about Maskells abuse and was going to come forward. The Oldest Irish American Newspaper in USA, Established in 1928, Bonds Between Irish America And Ireland Remain Strong: Survey. But in interviews conducted before his death, he found these. We werent actively looking at what he was doing after Keough but obviously, Charles [another abuse victim] played a narrative in the abuse. Former students of the Catholic school have maintained that the priest was somehow involved in Sister Cathy's murder. Regardless of why the school is closing, the walls will never be able to talk now. 1 of 40 Sister Catherine Cesnik is pictured with her father, Joseph Cesnik. It. Father Joseph Maskell, who died in 2001, was widely accused of sexually abusing girls at the school where Sister Cathy worked and is believed to be involved in her murder. Later in 1994, authorities exhumed boxes Maskell had buried in a Baltimore cemetery and found one to contain child pornography. Maskell was a police chaplain and he knew people in high places that's how they got away with it. What do you think happened to Sister Cathy? Radakovic, now in her 60s, remains determined. Investigators dug up Maskell's grav to compare the DNA of Maskell, to evidence from the crime scene. Were not going to let this go, Hoskins said. 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. Lil Hughes KnippAnother of the women who were abused at Keough, Lil Hughes Knipp did not come forward until years after the 1994 lawsuit. Marilyn had the blinders ripped off in a very scary way, I think, that what she thought happened to her sister might not be at all what actually happened to her sister, White explains. "Our best hope for solving this case at this point lies with the people who are still alive. (Radakovic was, in many ways, her sisters first student.) In one scene, Jean told her friends, we are the keepers of the secrets, and I knew that had to be the title. More: Every Original Series Cancelled By Netflix. It allowed for Cesnik's . Or does White know more than hes telling his audience? Nicole currently resides in Massachusetts with their husband and two best friends. Cesnik felt called by God to be a nun, her sister says, and she had a gift for teaching. And now the streaming, seven-part Netflix documentary, The Keepers, has investigated the case and will feature interviews with victims of the school abuse, and new revelations. She thought she had more potential than they were allowing.. Because the federal government keeps stalling and refusing to release information under the FOIA regarding Joyce Maleckis murder, there are likely countless pieces of possibly helpful evidence related to the homicides of both Joyce Malecki and Sister Cathy. Cesnik was found on a freezing January day in 1970 in Baltimore County, nearly two months after she vanished near her apartment. The theory that people in position of authority and power are ableto decide what we as the populous know or dont know or whether survivors of abuse are validated or not I also liked the institutional meaning of The Keepers.. . Police then announced that the DNA taken from A. Joseph Maskell was not a direct match to the DNA found at the two-month-old murder scene, where 26-year-old Sister Cathy was found decomposing in 1970. Catherine (Cathy) Cesnik was a Catholic sister and taught English and drama at Archbishop Keough (later renamed Seton Keough), an all-girls Catholic high school in Baltimore. Gemma connected us with so many people in The Keepers.. Sister Cathy's battered body - she had been beaten over the head - was discovered . One of the most famous pieces of evidence from the show is the cigarette butt shown in episode six, found near Sister Cathys body. And as long as youre alive, Cathy will be alive and dont ever forget that.. An image of Sister Cathy Cesnik's car found near her apartment the night she went missing Nov. 7, 1969 in Baltimore County. Father Joseph Maskell's body was exhumed from a Baltimore cemetery earlier this year as part of the investigation into the unsolved slaying. 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. Often, survivors would choose to remain anonymous, and the crew of The Keepers respected that choice and removed their stories, names, and/or faces from the series. 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. One former student, Teresa Lancaster claims she was sexually abused by Father Maskell as well as members of Baltimore police who took her to a wooded area and raped her in a car, Lancaster (right) said Maskell got away with his crimes by'power and fear.' As time would tell, she had good reason to keep quiet. "The Keepers" explores the murder of Sister Catherine Cesnik, who disappeared in November 1969 and whose body was discovered in January of 1970. Our focus was definitely on the survivors of Keough, but many Maskell victims cameafter Keough, and its horrifying. One of them told Nugent, I saw her on the ground. Her cousin was soon to be married and Sister Cathy wanted to shop for an engagement gift, she told her roommate, Sister Helen Phillips, with whom she shared a small garden apartment in Southwest Baltimore, a blue-collar area of the city. I think this is it, Hoskins said, in a recent interview. One of the major theories that The Keepers hypothesizes is that Maskell either killed Sister Cathy or had her killed. Sister Cathy was a teacher at Archbishop Keough High School and went missing in Baltimore in 1969. Though they had an age difference of about six years, the two girls were very close growing up, even sharing the same bedroom. There are six survivors showcased in the documentarybut we had many conversationswith other survivors who werent featured in the documentary. She was "Jane Roe" in that ultimately unsuccessful lawsuit. The Maryland Attorney Generals office has been investigating sexual abuse in the catholic church for nearly four years. Father A. Joseph MaskellAn administrator, psychologist and counselor at Keough when Sister Cathy was a teacher there, Maskell has been accused by dozens of students and other children of sexual abuse. So-called Grandma Nancy Drew Gemma Hoskins has spent years asking for the federal case files on Joyce Maleckis murder. He later returned to the U.S. and died in 2001. A lot of power. Her former students believe that Sister Cathy was murdered as part of a cover-up to protect a priest at the school, A. Joseph Maskell, who Cesnik suspected was guilty of sexual abuse of students.
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