. 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. She had brown hair and brown eyes. And as long as youre alive, Cathy will be alive and dont ever forget that.. And why should they? The identity of Brother Bob remains a mystery, although some in The Keepers believe he might be the missing link in the case of who killed Sister Cathy. It just means that there's no link between Maskell and the crime scene. [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]. Detectives revealed on Wednesday that after weeks of testing, Maskell's DNA did not match evidence found from the murder scene nearly 50 years ago. She still spends at least part of every day trying to find those people. So much of the investigationof the murder disappeared and we ran into that time and time again. Hoskins says at a minimum she wants to see records on Father Maskell. Giangrasso, pointing to the discovery of the car, and the fact that it was returned close to where Sister Cathy lived, theorized that the killer was someone who she knew and possibly whom she trusted. It is still in the process of dealing with the legal fallout, and atoning for the deeds of those who preyed on the most vulnerable. I was so drawn to Gemma right when I met her, she had such a unique way. 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. They filed a $40 million civil lawsuit against him, the Baltimore Archdiocese, the sisters who ran the school, and a local gynecologist. This is huge news regarding Sister Cathy's case. Butpeople from the outside that intercept withher realize the power of the survivor story in her. Except for that day, she said. Nicole Mello is an author of horrors, romances, and comedies. "The Keepers" premieres on Netflix May 19. Brother BobA third abuser who "Jane Doe" remembers from her days at Keough, but whose face she cannot recall. [13][14] Police spokeswoman Elise Armacost announced that this discovery does not exclude Maskell from being a suspect in the case. She said that Maskell showed her Sister Cathys body. I hope this documentary can be a tool of healing, but its about to be very triggering for the survivors, saidWhite. At this point, Im so disenchanted with my church its really disappointing. The Keepers filmmaker Ryan White made the new Netflix docuseries that has everyone on the edge of their seats. I can still feel her touch my cheek, said Hargadon-Wehner, in a recent interview. She was found dead two months later. For more on Sister Cathys mysterious death and the secrets she may have been killed to keep, subscribe now to PEOPLE or pick up this weeks issue, on newsstands now. In spite of the Freedom of Information Act, the federal government has continuously neglected to provide Gemma Hoskins with this information. She wanted to be more. Play it now! In 1994, two victims, known then as Jane Doe and Jane Roe, attempted to sue the Catholic Church and Maskell for alleged abuse, but the case was thrown out because of Marylands statute of limitations. There was only the two of us for a long time, so we were really close, Radakovic says. There, on the ground, still clad, her face covered with maggots, was the body of Sister Cathy. Amateur sleuths have continued tracking the famous cold case in a new podcast series. Sister Cathy Cesnik's disappearance and murder remain an unsolved mystery. 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. White, the Keepers director, said nearly the same thing in a separate interview. Though they had an age difference of about six years, the two girls were very close growing up, even sharing the same bedroom. [1] Sister Cathys battered body - she had been beaten over the head - was discovered off Monumental Avenue, in a Landsdowne, Baltimore County, Maryland, garbage dump by hunters, on January 3, 1970. 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. Netflix's documentary series "The Keepers" dives into the case and uncovers a web of abuse that may . One of the major theories that The Keepers hypothesizes is that Maskell either killed Sister Cathy or had her killed. After the complaints were made to the archdiocese, Maskell was temporarily removed from his post at the school for psychological evaluation. Bob ErlandsonBob Erlandson was a journalist working for the Baltimore Sun in 1993. 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. According to CNN, Bode Cellmark Forensics laboratory in Lorton, Virginia was responsible for comparing the DNA to the sample from the murder scene. Six years Cesniks junior, Radakovic grew up as her tag-along and daily charge, as Cesnik babysat while their parents worked. When she realized Sister Cathy was missing, she called Koob, and together with him and McKeon, the three later called the police. The biggest hurdle was that the case was so old, that it was 45 years old. ', '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. 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. Sister Joanita (Cathy) requested permission to take a sabbatical from the Order. There are a lot of people that are living that should be behind bars, she said. Also Read: 'The Keepers': What's Behind the Name of the Netflix Documentary Series? And just kind of came up behind me and put it on my neck." Sharon May states firmly and rudely in her interview that she had absolutely no involvement in any sort of cover-up. 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 Irish Tenors have been singing together for 25 years and have just embarked on a U.S. tour to mark this standout number. Their interactions have sometimes been fraught, and she tells PEOPLE, Theres a lot that we still would like to see them do.. It was early 2016 and the couple was at the California apartment of Radakovics mother, who had recently died. In the end, The Keepers doesnt solve its biggest question: Who killed Sister Cathy? However, the material was never entered into evidence. But a Facebook message ultimately connected them, and Radakovic features prominently in the later episodes. 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. 'The Keepers': What's Behind the Name of the Netflix Documentary Series? Were you impressed with Gemmas investigative skills given that she has no police or journalism experience? Jean and other former students of Sister Cathy believe that the Archdiocese of Baltimore and the authorities covered up Sister Cathy's murder after she suspected Father Maskell was sexually abusing several young girls at the school. 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. [6] At 4:40am the next morning, Russell's friends, Peter McKeon and Gerard J. Koob, both Catholic priests, found Cesnik's car, in muddy condition, and illegally parked across from her apartment complex. Sister Cathy was a teacher at Archbishop Keough High School and went missing in Baltimore in 1969. Not every story that Ryan White heard gets told in The Keepers. On January 3, 1970, nearly two months after her vanishment, the brutally beaten and mutilated body of Sister Cesnik was located in a field in Lansdowne, Maryland, by a man and his son who were. So we didn't want to set that as our bar, Hargrave said. Meanwhile, Baltimore city homicide detectives are continuing. They have another project scheduled to come out later this year. He then left to work as pastor of a church in Baltimore, but later returned to his duties after an archdiocese investigation failed to support the abuse allegations. 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. Father Maskell was a counselor and chaplain at Archbishop Keough from 1967 to 1975. Maskell left Baltimore for Ireland where he obtained amployment as a psychologist. 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. The series also renewed the investigations into the murders of two women, Sister Cathy Cesnik and Joyce Malecki. Savvy internet sleuths have found evidence that James Maskell, a former patrolman, got a woman named Sarah Nell sentenced to a year in prison for biting him while he attempted to assault her. 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. The reward is up to $7,000 for informati. He was accused of sexual abuse and aiding Maskell, and was also named in a 1994 lawsuit. The only way to do that was to find people who were involved. The Keepers/Netflix On its website, the department offers a timeline of Cesnik's death and the case involving allegations against Maskell, who died in 2001. Well, its funny how you asked that because I never saw it as taking on the Catholic Church. Detectives traveled to the Seattle area to interview the man, but without any solid evidence they were unable to elicit a confession. The Baltimore archdiocese has had its own extensive, and very expensive, pedophile priest sexual abuse scandal to deal with in recent years. He later returned to the U.S. and died in 2001. 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. She was a member of the Keough class of 1971. Throughout the series,the devastation experienced bysurvivors is laid bare,as is theirstrength in confronting unthinkable childhood horrors. Dr. Christian RichterA gynecologist who Maskell would take students to while he was serving at Keough. 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. 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. But officials have declined to identify that person. According to Hollywoodlife.com, Joseph Maskell's body was exhumed in Feb. 2017 and his DNA was tested by a forensics lab against DNA evidence found near the crime scene of Sister Cathy. 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. Cesnik was found on a freezing January day in 1970 in Baltimore County, nearly two months after she vanished near her apartment. 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. [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. Im also not a journalist or a detective but I borrowed a lot of skills from Gemmas skillset over the years. Supposedly, according to White and Jean Wehner, the Archdiocese opened an investigation into A. Joseph Maskell, and so, those records should exist. Every bit of it, vividly. 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. "The Keepers" explores the murder of Sister Catherine Cesnik, who disappeared in November 1969 and whose body was discovered in January of 1970. The church has denied the charges, but it has settled dozens of sexual abuse cases in the matter of Father 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. But its not about popularity, its about the impact My hope is that we can have a fraction of that popularitythat leads to justice. Donna VonDenBoschDonna VonDenBosch also has come forward as one of Maskell's abuse victims as a member of the Keough class of 1974. It would be two months later, on January 3, 1970, that a couple of hunters came upon Sister Cathy's decomposed, frozen and mutilated body, and notified police. 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. 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. This seven-episode docuseries explores the still-unsolved murder of Sister Cathy Cesnik, a teacher at Archbishop Keough High School in Baltimore, Maryland. [7] She cashed a paycheck at First National Bank in Catonsville that night. When her daughter was born five years after that, Radakovic named her Catherine. What the show doesnt touch on, however, is Koobs supposed relationship with Sister Cathy. Whoever dumped Sister Catherine's body on a snowy piece of isolated waste ground (now completely overgrown) in Lansdowne had to know the area well. Does he ever reveal them? Lil Hughes KnippAnother of the women who were abused at Keough, Lil Hughes Knipp did not come forward until years after the 1994 lawsuit. I have deep gratitude for the detectiveswho sat down with me and had complete transparency in opening their crime scene photos and investigation. Meteorological records also reveal that temperatures during the week in question were warm enough for maggots to hatch. Peter McKeonMcKeon was also a priest, and accompanied Koob to Sister Cathy's apartment when Sister Russell called to say she was missing. 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. [6], Immediately after Cesnik's disappearance, police searched the area for her body without success. Tweet. Sister Cathy's battered body - she had been beaten over the head - was discovered . The plaintiffs appealed. So-called Grandma Nancy Drew Gemma Hoskins has spent years asking for the federal case files on Joyce Maleckis murder. Days later, after an engagement party with her then-fiancs family, Radakovic got a call from her mother. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. In the nearly two months between that discovery and her disappearance, Radakovic, then 20 years old, remained certain her sister was alive somewhere. She was part of the Keough class of 1972. Theyd ring a bell and [the girls] were required to get up and just walk away., But Radakovic couldnt let go. The Baltimore police has since reopened its investigation. County police, meanwhile, say they have never proven that Cesniks homicide was due to any knowledge she had of the Keough sex abuse though it is one of multiple theories they are pursuing, including possible links between her death and three other unsolved homicides in the area around the same time. Her mutilated remains were found on January 1970 and her murder is still unsolved. Teresa Lancaster (Jane Roe)The second plaintiff in the 1994 lawsuit against Maskell, Lancaster was known in the case as Jane Roe. After the failed lawsuit, she went to law school and became a lawyer, working with Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests, or SNAP. She was just 26 at the time of her death. We were trying to reconstruct the truth when it had been deliberately hidden or kept secret. Her body was found in Lansdowne, south of Baltimore,. He died in 2006. "[9], Wehner said that Cesnik once came to her and said gently, "Are the priests hurting you?" Something has happened to your sister. . 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. Maskell was a police chaplain and he knew people in high places that's how they got away with it. ', 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.'. Mine isdifferent than Gemmas theory, but we were all looking at the various versions of the truth and deciding what we believed was true. But through Gemma and Abbie, we talked to about 25 for the documentary. He first reported on Sister Cathy's story because of Wehner's accusation that Maskell was involved in her murder. Whats really funny about Gemma, shes taking criminologyclasses right now which I find hilarious. 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. Were not going to let this go, Hoskins said. 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. Tricky geometry baffles the internet - but can YOU train your brain to solve how many triangles are in this image? 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. If the Archdiocese is willing to blatantly lie about this, what else are they lying about? The series also renewed the investigations into the murders of two women, Sister Cathy Cesnik and Joyce Malecki. Both had . Soon they were linking that abuse to Sister Cathy's murder, and speculation that she was going to blow the whistle and tell all. And we hope that someone will be able to come forward with conclusive information about the murder. Sister Cathy was a teacher at Archbishop Keough High School and went missing in Baltimore in 1969. Her rosary was missing, but her rings were in place? 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 Baltimore Archdiocese reached a $35,000 settlement with VonDenBosch in 2016. Before that, Gemma spent 37 years as an elementary school teacher. Published on May 18, 2017 10:03 AM. Tom NugentFreelance journalist Tom Nugent covered Sister Cathy's death starting in 1994. It started with a freelance journalist, Tom Nugent. In 1969, at 26 years old, Cesnik faced an impasse in her life and career, Radakovic says. 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. [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. 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. 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. Spitz did the official autopsy back in 1970. Who killed the nun still remains a mystery today, but . He was well connected to the local community and to the police departments, at both the county and state levels. The Keepers will premiere on Netflix on May 19. 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. 'The Keepers' Update: New DNA Evidence Found In Sister Cathy Cesniks Murder Case, Amy Robach and T.J. 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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.. The mysterious Brother Bob is, in many ways, even more chilling a figure than A. Joseph Maskell. 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. And the oldest was in her 20's.. Bill Hughes is a Baltimore-based author, actor and photojournalist. Her account was brought into question by scientific evidence showing that it would have been impossible for maggots to be alive at that time of year. There was another twist to come: After Radakovic buried her mother, she dug deeper into her sisters case and found that a documentary team was already doing the same thing, and had been for more than a year. 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. Nugents insights on the matter will be featured in the Netflix series. 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 the Baltimore Sun, as evening fell on Nov. 7, 1969, Sister Catherine Cesnik left her unassuming apartment, heading to the Edmondson Village Shopping Center around 7:30 p.m. As far as her roommate, Sister Helen Russell Phillips, could tell, she was headed out to buy an engagement gift for her sister, as well as run a few errands. I think it's pretty undeniable by the end of The Keepers that they are, and Jean is the nexus of that, White said. 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In 2016, the Baltimore County Police Department (BCPD) reassigned the case due to retiring officers, prompting new interviews and further investigation into the alleged sexual abuse at Keough. BALTIMORE "The Keepers" premiered on Netflix, on May 19th, 2017, bringing worldwide attention to the sexual abuse of children by priests in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. In 2013, Facebook page was started by an alum of the school, and more women told of their abuse at the hands of Maskell and others. Its possible Flaherty and Maskell had some deeper connection at the time that has simply been completely overlooked. 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. 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. 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.. Sharon A.H. MayThe Baltimore State's attorney working on the Maskell case in 1994. Billy SchmidtSister Cathy's neighbor in the Carriage Hill Apartments building. I ran over, bent down and began wiping maggots off her face. Nov. 11-13, 1969: Joyce Malecki Is Killed. In addition to the six abuse victims featured in the documentary, director Ryan White told TheWrap there are at least 40 victims in total, some from after Maskell's stint at Keough. Radakovic, now in her 60s, remains determined. She thought she had more potential than they were allowing.. 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.". 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. [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. 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. He was never charged. Their work is featured prominently, in "The Keepers.. Hargadon-Wehner's new book "Walking With Aletheia" details her healing process, and what she's learned from - she says - communicating with several different aspects of her personality.