I was shocked, I was so shocked, Radakovic tells PEOPLE. Sister Helen Russell PhillipsSister Cathy's roommate in 1969 when she disappeared. 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. Netflix documentary series explores the 1970 murder of Sister Catherine Cesnik. I thought they would have been more participatory. 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. There is even more to this than meets the eye; White said there are about thirty-five other survivors just like her, and more reaching out all the time. And the oldest was in her 20's.. The Oldest Irish American Newspaper in USA, Established in 1928, Bonds Between Irish America And Ireland Remain Strong: Survey. Maskell denied involvement in any form of abuse. So we didn't want to set that as our bar, Hargrave said. Does he ever reveal them? I don't understand what happens on the other side, she said. Audiences reacted poorly to how cold, smarmy, and arrogant Sharon May appeared to be, and with good reason: they have every reason to believe she was very much involved in a cover-up for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, evident enough from her complete inaction throughout the case. The Keepers: Pieces Of Evidence The Show Leaves Out, 16 TV Shows Too Disturbing To Binge-Watch, 10 Exciting New Netflix Originals Still Coming In 2019, Netflixs Tiger King: 15 Best Joe Exotic Quotes, Everything Available At Launch On HBO Max, 10 Creepy Documentaries To Watch If You Loved The Keepers. They revealed themselves in "The Keepers" thanks to documentary filmmakers Ryan White and Jessica Hargrave. [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. He was never charged with Sister Cathys murder. This begs the question, though, that if White says he included everything he knew, and we know he had to remove names for legal reasons where in the documentary does he reveal these hidden suspects? Beverly WallaceThe attorney for "Jane Doe" and "Jane Roe" in the 1994 lawsuit against Maskell and the archdiocese. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. His family believes he may have had something to do with Cathy's death, along with his brother, Ronnie, and an unknown man called "Skippy." One of them told Nugent, I saw her on the ground. He was well connected to the local community and to the police departments, at both the county and state levels. Cesnik attended St. Mary's School on 57th Street and St. Augustine High School, both in Lawrenceville. When she decided that this would be a healthy step, we went ahead with it. It started with a freelance journalist, Tom Nugent. 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. [4] Cesnik had three siblings. It just means that there's no link between Maskell and the crime scene. Sharon A.H. MayThe Baltimore State's attorney working on the Maskell case in 1994. Just a few days before she vanished, the priest reportedly called her and, once again expressing his love, had asked her to marry him. Jane Doe (Jean Wehner) is quoted as recalling a man she knew only as Brother Bob, who she can hardly remember from being traumatized so badly by him, whispering to her that he was the one who had killed Sister Cathy. The next time the young nun was seen, it was by a female student from Cesnik's school, Archbishop Keough High School. This seven-episode docuseries explores the still-unsolved murder of Sister Cathy Cesnik, a teacher at Archbishop Keough High School in Baltimore, Maryland. Everyone has a different theory. There was only the two of us for a long time, so we were really close, Radakovic says. She was the eldest child of Joseph and Anna Omulac Cesnik. This is huge news regarding Sister Cathy's case. 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.. However, Spitz, who worked on the case, later confirmed that there had been maggots in both the victim's mouth and trachea when found. We were trying to reconstruct the truth when it had been deliberately hidden or kept secret. Ryan White's aunt attended Archbishop Keough High School, and had stayed in touch with Jean Hargadon-Wehner. 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. Still wondering what happened to Baltimore's Sister Cathy? I'm determined that if there is something I can do in my lifetime to change things, I think the keepers has already changed society quite a bit, Hoskins said. The Irish Tenors have been singing together for 25 years and have just embarked on a U.S. tour to mark this standout number. Search from Sister Cathy Cesnik stock photos, pictures and royalty-free images from iStock. The series also renewed the investigations into the murders of two women, Sister Cathy Cesnik and Joyce Malecki. Bob ErlandsonBob Erlandson was a journalist working for the Baltimore Sun in 1993. More than 40 years after her death, the case of Sister Cathy Cesnik's murder is still unsolved. . Investigators dug up Maskell's grav to compare the DNA of Maskell, to evidence from the crime scene. He and his friend and fellow priest, Peter McKeon, discovered Sister Cathys car parked at a strange angle across the street from her apartment. Koob was a Jesuit priest at the time of Sister Cathys murder. He was said to have allowed girls at the school to talk about sex and drugs in his office, and even permitted alcohol and cigarettes during gatherings in his rectory living quarters. I think it's pretty undeniable by the end of The Keepers that they are, and Jean is the nexus of that, White said. Sister Catherine 'Cathy' Cesnik, a pretty and popular 26-year-old nun who taught at an all-girls Catholic school in Baltimore, was last seen by her roommate, another nun, going off to shop on the evening of Friday November 7, 1969. Peter McKeonMcKeon was also a priest, and accompanied Koob to Sister Cathy's apartment when Sister Russell called to say she was missing. Nicole currently resides in Massachusetts with their husband and two best friends. 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. NEXT:10 Creepy Documentaries To Watch If You Loved The Keepers. [1] The call led Hoskins and Keough graduate, Abbie Schaub, to start their own research into Sister Cathy's murder. 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. There are six survivors showcased in the documentarybut we had many conversationswith other survivors who werent featured in the documentary. Months later, Radakovic became engaged (to the man who is still her husband) and she called Cesnik to ask her to be her maid of honor and discuss details of the wedding. She also thinks Sister Cathy was murdered because she knew about Maskells abuse and was going to come forward. But in interviews conducted before his death, he found these. While the case remains open, allegations of sexual abuse by Father Maskell, and Sister's Cathy's plan to blow the whistle along with a possible cover up by the Catholic Church with close ties to law enforcement are at the heart of the horrendous case. He was accused of sexual abuse and aiding Maskell, and was also named in a 1994 lawsuit. For the next 47 years, the case went unsolved until now. accessed ), memorial page for Sr Catherine Anne "Cathy" Cesnik (17 Nov . 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. In 1994, Fr. A lot of power. 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. He was never charged. 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. As in, a three-year-old who remembers it. She was "Jane Roe" in that ultimately unsuccessful lawsuit. She had brown hair and brown eyes. They filed a $40 million civil lawsuit against him, the Baltimore Archdiocese, the sisters who ran the school, and a local gynecologist. Gemma Hoskins has helped dozens of victims get in touch with their investigators. Before that, Gemma spent 37 years as an elementary school teacher. Anyone who saw The Keepers remembers former priest Gerry Koob and his story about the police bringing in Sister Cathys genitals wrapped in newspaper and tossing them on a table in front of Koob. Maskell was never tried or convicted of any crimes, and he died in 2001. Her life had been threatened and she had allegedly been abused by the priest. Also Read: 'The Keepers' Filmmaker: Father Maskell Abused 40 Victims, Not Just the 6 in Netflix's Doc. Whats worse than considering the fact that A. Joseph Maskell terrorized one community? Meanwhile, Baltimore city homicide detectives are continuing. 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. After the series premiered, messages started to arrive from around the world with new information. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. She was just 26 at the time of her death. 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. Hoskins and Schaub looked into each of those tips, and the tips have kept coming in for the past five years. Former students of the Catholic school have maintained that the priest was somehow involved in Sister Cathy's murder. I think the really special part of The Keepers is that people arespeaking up for a lot of people who didnt survive it. 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. [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. Cesnik felt called by God to be a nun, her sister says, and she had a gift for teaching. Father Maskell was also, for a time, an assistant pastor at St. Clements Church in Landsdowne. In spite of the Freedom of Information Act, the federal government has continuously neglected to provide Gemma Hoskins with this information. Were not going to let this go, Hoskins said. When she was reported missing later that night, several dozen cops and half-a-dozen dog teams unsuccessfully searched a wide swath of Baltimore's southwest neighborhood searching for clues to her whereabouts. Sister Cathy's battered body - she had been beaten over the head - was discovered . Netflix's documentary series "The Keepers" dives into the case and uncovers a web of abuse. She was a member of the Keough class of 1970. 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. Charles FranzIn "The Keepers," Charles Franz came forward as one of Maskell's abuse victims in the 1960s. Amateur sleuths have continued tracking the famous cold case in a new podcast series. The comments below have not been moderated. That means Father Maskell was somehow involved. What we do know is that the FBIs continuing failure to contribute meaningfully to this case has negatively impacted any chance at an ending to the story. ', Asked how they could get away with such a crime, Lancaster told the TV news interviewer, 'Power and fear. 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. She said, You need to come home right away. I was raised Catholic and I had a very positive experience. YOU'VE REACHED YOUR MONTHLY ARTICLE LIMIT. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group, Biden appears confused in bizarre exchange while struggling to explain why he still hasn't visited East Palestine weeks after devastating train derailment - as he heads to Delaware home, 'American aircraft, this is the PLA Air Force': Moment Chinese fighter jet and guided-missile destroyer threaten U.S. reconnaissance plane in heart-stopping confrontation over the South China Sea, Turkey is rocked by powerful 5.5 magnitude earthquake just weeks after it shattered by catastrophe that left 50,000 dead and more than a million homeless. The reward is up to $7,000 for informati. 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.. Obviously, the story grew and grew and one of our first access points was Gemma. 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. 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. Refresh. They have internal records on everyone including A. Joseph Maskell. According to published sources, at least two students at Keough were shown the body of Sister Cathy by Father Maskell himself. And just kind of came up behind me and put it on my neck." And they just paid settlements to the survivors its not that they deny it happened. As she would discover, there are many people in Baltimore who believe Cesnik was killed because of what she may have known: that the all-girls Catholic high school in Baltimore where she had taught English, Archbishop Keough, had a history of sexual abuse. She was found dead two months later. When her daughter was born five years after that, Radakovic named her Catherine. 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. According to CNN, Bode Cellmark Forensics laboratory in Lorton, Virginia was responsible for comparing the DNA to the sample from the murder scene. One of them, Jean Wehner, was the student who claimed Maskell had taken her to view Cesnik's body in the dump. It seems that either the Archdiocese is lying about having investigated the accusations, or the Archdiocese is lying about having internal records on A. Joseph Maskell. I mean, its a survivor story at its core. Nugents insights on the matter will be featured in the Netflix series. Ryan White says hes seen a lot of people doubt whether the story is true at all, and insists that Koob is absolutely certain this happened, while the police are absolutely certain it did not. During his interview in "The Keepers," however, he denied any involvement. And as long as youre alive, Cathy will be alive and dont ever forget that.. 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. Her unsolved murder served as the basis for the Netflix documentary series The Keepers in 2017. He was a reporter for the Baltimore Sun and has written investigative reports for Mother Jones, the Chicago Tribune and the Washington Post. 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.. 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. On November 7, 1969, Cesnik disappeared. The trial court dismissed the action as time-barred by the statute of limitations. All rights reserved. Much like everyone else who . Forget little green men - life on distant exoplanets may resemble HUMANS, experts say, Kim Kardashian took out a staggering $48 MILLION mortgage to buy her sprawling $70M clifftop Malibu mansion once that was owned by Cindy Crawford - and used Britney Spears' notorious ex-business manager for the deal, 'We asked too much of the audience': Pixar exec admits Lightyear flopped for straying too far from Toy Story, with fans furious over lesbian kiss and axing of conservative star Tim Allen, Lady Gaga is sued by dog theft accomplice for refusing to pay $500K reward woman thought she'd get for returning Poker Face singer's two French bulldogs'no questions asked', 'There's something they're not telling us': Erin Brockovich says East Palestine community has been given 'horrible mixed messaging' about water safety, as wellheads remain 'locked up', 'It cuts like a knife': Attorney for family of LSU student Madison Brooks slam release of 'hurtful and shameful' video showing her in back of a car where four men 'raped her' before she was run over, Neo-Nazis plan 'Day of Hate' protests outside NYC synagogues after harassing audience members outside Ben Platt Broadway musical - where Mayor Eric Adams took to the stage and told them: 'This is not a place where hate lives', You can now KISS the bride! I hope this documentary can be a tool of healing, but its about to be very triggering for the survivors, saidWhite. 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.. "Buried in Baltimore: The Mysterious Murder of a Nun Who Knew Too Much", "Justice for Sister Cathy is Long Overdue", "With New Lead, Police Reopen Old Murder Case", "Timeline: The Sister Catherine Cesnik Case", "Sister Catherine Cesnik Case: Missing Nun's Body Found in Lansdowne", "Baltimore Priest Victim: Police Were in on Sexual Abuse", "Jane Doe et al. The biggest hurdle was that the case was so old, that it was 45 years old. I dont know how they do it I dont think she knows. With new evidence cropping up recently, this article has been updated to reflect evenmorefacts and clues that the docuseries overlooked. Jean claims that Father Maskell took her to Sister Cathy's body and said to her, "See what happens when you say bad things about people.". ', 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'. Also Read: 'The Keepers': What's Behind the Name of the Netflix Documentary Series? Throughout the series,the devastation experienced bysurvivors is laid bare,as is theirstrength in confronting unthinkable childhood horrors. A headline in a Baltimore newspaper blared: 'City Police Fail To Find Missing Nun.'. 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. 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. What do you think happened to Sister Cathy? Baltimore nun Cathy Cesnik, 26, vanished while out on a shopping trip in November 7, 1969. The grisly case has. Their interactions have sometimes been fraught, and she tells PEOPLE, Theres a lot that we still would like to see them do.. Everything Ive done, Ive really tried since that time which is just a little over a year ago for me Ive tried to give them all the information that Ive learned, she says of working with authorities. The exact number of his victims remains unclear. Sister Cathy was a teacher at Archbishop Keough High School and went missing in Baltimore in 1969. She doesnt recognize that of course she lives small. Cathy's Ford Maverick, which she had recently purchased, was found just a block from her apartment parked illegally in a no parking area and unlocked. 'There were a lot of layers that if you peeled them back went a lot deeper. Marilyn Cesnik Radakovic's journey to find out what happened to her older sister, who died nearly 50 years ago, began last year when she read a news article with the headline "Buried in. 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. ', Giangrasso also believed Sister Cathy's killing was church-related, telling the Huffington Post: 'I personally thought it was in-house, within her social network the priests and the religious order.'. On occasion, they will attempt to combine all three, as there really isnt too much to life overall than fear, love, and laughter. Moreover, she said that along with the priest, she was abused by police officers. She chose not to charge Maskell, saying the case lacked evidence. She said that Maskell showed her Sister Cathys body. 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. She didnt know Jeanhad gone through that abuse. I have deep gratitude for the detectiveswho sat down with me and had complete transparency in opening their crime scene photos and investigation. Many have speculated on the identity of this mysterious Brother Bob, with most pointing to Ed (Edgar Davidson) as being the most obvious answer, but some are now speculating that Father Robert Flaherty is Brother Bob. That documentary series, The Keepers, premiered on Netflix on Friday with Radakovic as a key participant. We shared a room until she went into the convent. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. When she first went in [to the convent], they had visitation days and my parents and I always went down for the visitation days, we never missed them, Radakovic says. 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. Just Friday, the Archdioceseof Baltimore retweeted something in regardsto documentary, and I was appalledthat the Archdiocese was retweeting something like that and how insulting that must be for our survivors. Marilyn Cesnik RadakovicSister Cathy's younger sister, who joins the investigation with Hoskins and Schaub during "The Keepers.". Some suspect the same person killed both women, but authorities have never been able to find a link in their cases. The prime suspect in Sister Cathys murder was a priest, the late Father A. Joseph Maskell. Jean Hargadon Wehner (Jane Doe)The first former student to accuse Father Maskell of sex abuse, she appeared in the 1994 lawsuit as Jane Doe. Wehner said she waited to come forward because she had repressed her memories of the abuse and only recalled them later. - May 30, 2017 05:42 pm EDT. The plaintiffs appealed. Our focus was definitely on the survivors of Keough, but many Maskell victims cameafter Keough, and its horrifying. I do believe in so many other things than I ever did before. Catherine Anne Cesnik was born on November 17, 1942, in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Joyce Maleckis murder is explored as much as it can be as being potentially connected to the murder of Sister Cathy Cesnik, but theres still so much that Abbie, Gemma, and audiences dont know. But a Facebook message ultimately connected them, and Radakovic features prominently in the later episodes. ', After Maskell's death, Jean Wehner came forward and revealed she was the student who the priest had taken to view Cesnik's body at the dump before her remains were officially found, Wehner claims the only nun at the school who sought to help the abused girls was Sister Cathy, The crime haunted the local community for decades. But I do think that there are individuals who are still living who know exactly what happened, she said. His account directly contradicts the church's story about what it knew about Maskell. 2021 Updates on The 50-Year-Old Unsolved Murder Case of Sister Cathy Cesnik | by Rameen Zeeshan | Lessons from History | Medium 500 Apologies, but something went wrong on our end. It was early 2016 and the couple was at the California apartment of Radakovics mother, who had recently died. 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. She was a member of the School Sisters of Notre Dame and had been an English teacher at the Catholic, all-girls, Archbishop Keough High School in Landsdowne. Sister Cesnik had been reported as a missing person on November 7, 1969, from her residence at the Carriage House Apartments in Baltimore City, 21229. But hes only willing to share a slice of it. Obviously, it has other meanings one other meaning was the idea of gatekeepers. Something has happened to your sister. . v. A. Joseph Maskell et al. [7] She cashed a paycheck at First National Bank in Catonsville that night. And why should they? Farm Heroes Saga, the #4 Game on iTunes. 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.