She didnt know Jeanhad gone through that abuse. Beverly WallaceThe attorney for "Jane Doe" and "Jane Roe" in the 1994 lawsuit against Maskell and the archdiocese. [13], Netflix produced a seven-part documentary series about the case called The Keepers, which debuted on May 19, 2017. 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. 1 of 40 Sister Catherine Cesnik is pictured with her father, Joseph Cesnik. I had fond memoriesof the church, but for this, they were so non-participatory with it. '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. 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. Sister Catherine CesnikA nun and teacher at Archbishop Keough High School in 1968, Sister Cathy was murdered in Nov. 1969, although her body wasnt discovered until Jan. 3, 1970. It started with a freelance journalist, Tom Nugent. Brother BobA third abuser who "Jane Doe" remembers from her days at Keough, but whose face she cannot recall. Wehner alleged that there was frequent sexual abuse at Sister Cathy's school. Find high-quality stock photos that you won't find anywhere else. 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. 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. Her body was found in a wooded area two days later. Moreover, she said that along with the priest, she was abused by police officers. Farm Heroes Saga, the #4 Game on iTunes. When she decided that this would be a healthy step, we went ahead with it. Since her mothers death last year, Radakovic has been her familys point of contact with Baltimore investigators, who tell PEOPLE the homicide case is quite active.. Still wondering what happened to Baltimore's Sister Cathy? And she has not stopped looking into the murder of her former teacher. 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. She wanted to be more. Kathy HobeckIn addition to Wehner and Lancaster, Kathy Hobeck is one of six abuse victims who appears in "The Keepers." 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. One of them, Jean Wehner, was the student who claimed Maskell had taken her to view Cesnik's body in the dump. But in interviews conducted before his death, he found these. A few years ago my auntconnected me to Jean, her friend. In one scene, Jean told her friends, we are the keepers of the secrets, and I knew that had to be the title. 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. Sister Catherine Ann Cesnik was last seen alive on November 7, 1969. One of them told Nugent, I saw her on the ground. She was found dead two months later. He was accused of sexual abuse and aiding Maskell, and was also named in a 1994 lawsuit. Find out what it is in TheWraps Q&A with White below. But now, because of witness testimony, and a multi-part documentary about the Cesnik murder to be aired on Netflix beginning on May 19, there is hope that her killer may be identified and the case finally be put to rest. James Maskell, A. Joseph Maskells uncle, is a similarly powerful and threatening figure that deserves to be prodded harder. As in, a three-year-old who remembers it. And this was how she had explained it to me. 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. One of the students who was abused told Nugent that Sister Cathy was a very brave women who tried her best to help those who were abused and she paid for it with her life., The victim continued: I honor her spirit and I still feel very close to her, even today. Cesniks body was found on Jan. 3, 1970. Whats worse than considering the fact that A. Joseph Maskell terrorized one community? I do believe in so many other things than I ever did before. According to published sources, at least two students at Keough were shown the body of Sister Cathy by Father Maskell himself. On November 7, 1969, Cathy Cesnik left her apartment in Catonsville to buy an engagement gift for her sister. She always wanted to become a Personal Investigator. RELATED: 10 Exciting New Netflix Originals Still Coming In 2019. I was raised Catholic and I had a very positive experience. And I had spent time trying to convince my parents, Shes alive, lets find out what the letter says, shes tellin us where she is, we need to go, we need to find her, we need to help her. , I dont think we thought she was dead, Radakovic remembers. YOU'VE REACHED YOUR MONTHLY ARTICLE LIMIT. A 1994 story in the Baltimore Sun, revealed that she had information about Cesnik's murdered condition, such as the maggots on her face, known only to the cops. TheWrap: What was the process ofgetting this documentary together? The homicide remains unsolved, and for decades Radakovic believed Cesnik was the victim of a wrong place, wrong time crime. When she realized Sister Cathy was missing, she called Koob, and together with him and McKeon, the three later called the police. 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. ', He theorized that because there had been no signs of a struggle, 'it looked too clean. ', He claimed that the detectives were told to either charge the priest 'or let him go. She also thinks Sister Cathy was murdered because she knew about Maskells abuse and was going to come forward. 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. So-called Grandma Nancy Drew Gemma Hoskins has spent years asking for the federal case files on Joyce Maleckis murder. I think that the impact of The Keepers has far exceeded our expectations, Hargrave said. 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.' 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. The grisly case has inspired the Netflix docu-series The Keepers, The beloved nun who was an English and drama teacher at Archbishop Keough High School is believed to have been killed by someone in the church in an attempt to keep her quiet, Like a scene out of a horror movie, the high school junior was driven to a garbage dump by the school's 30-year-old spiritual counselor, Father Joseph Maskell - who died in 2001 - and reportedly told the 16-year-old student: 'You see what happens when you say bad things about people?'. Ryan White's aunt attended Archbishop Keough High School, and had stayed in touch with Jean Hargadon-Wehner. It just means that there's no link between Maskell and the crime scene. The Baltimore archdiocese has had its own extensive, and very expensive, pedophile priest sexual abuse scandal to deal with in recent years. Schaub was previously a nurse. . More: Every Original Series Cancelled By Netflix. The Keepers, a 7-part documentary, is currently available to stream on Netflix. Hoskins says at a minimum she wants to see records on Father Maskell. Just a few days before she vanished, the priest reportedly called her and, once again expressing his love, had asked her to marry him. Dr. Christian RichterA gynecologist who Maskell would take students to while he was serving at Keough. She wanted to do more than she was able to do within the confines of the order, Radakovic says. She was very, very, very important to me.. Her body was found in Lansdowne, south of Baltimore,. In spite of the Freedom of Information Act, the federal government has continuously neglected to provide Gemma Hoskins with this information. Supposedly, according to White and Jean Wehner, the Archdiocese opened an investigation into A. Joseph Maskell, and so, those records should exist. He claims he interviewed more than 100 girls in the case who knew of or were involved in sexual abuse. Were you impressed with Gemmas investigative skills given that she has no police or journalism experience? The Keepers will premiere on Netflix on May 19. 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. ', '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. 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. 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. With new evidence cropping up recently, this article has been updated to reflect evenmorefacts and clues that the docuseries overlooked. Maskell denied involvement in any form of abuse. Some suspect the same person killed both women, but authorities have never been able to find a link in their cases. 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. He was well connected to the local community and to the police departments, at both the county and state levels. One of the initial persons of interest was a Jesuit priest who had been romantically involved with the pretty nun, and had once asked her to marry him, before she took her vows. The Keough priest who allegedly masterminded the sex abuse, Father A. Joseph Maskell, died in 2001 and denied the abuse accusations before his death. 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. All rights reserved. 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.". One of those calls went to a retired Baltimore County teacher, Gemma Hoskins. We shared a room until she went into the convent. 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? 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. Because no criminal charges were leveled against Maskell, Wehner and Lancaster became plaintiffs in the 1994 lawsuit against Maskell and the archdiocese. Regardless of why the school is closing, the walls will never be able to talk now. There are a lot of people that are living that should be behind bars, she said. Cesnik was found on a freezing January day in 1970 in Baltimore County, nearly two months after she vanished near her apartment. 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. "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 Irish Tenors have been singing together for 25 years and have just embarked on a U.S. tour to mark this standout number. 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. Copyright 2023 PopCulture.com. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. The idea that he terrorized many, and that the Catholic Church chose not to stop him. Also Read: 'The Keepers': What's Behind the Name of the Netflix Documentary Series? She joined the School Sisters of Notre Dame when she was 18. She moved into an apartment with another nun and was weighing her options. For the next 47 years, the case went unsolved until now. However, they say theres nothing, even though Jean Wehner found many victims willing to come forward simply by sending out letters in the mail. 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. 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. However, this is a small step towards justice. 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. Sister Cathy's battered body - she had been beaten over the head - was discovered . 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. The fall before she died, Cesnik transferred from Keough to a local public school in Baltimore and had asked for a leave of absence from her order. She suffered blunt force trauma to her head and the case remains open to this day. ", Up Next: Netflix Hidden Gems For Sci-Fi And Fantasy Lovers. 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. Koob was a Jesuit priest at the time of Sister Cathys murder. ', One former student, Teresa Lancaster, told WJZ-TV in Baltimore, that Sister Cathy had 'confronted' Maskell 'and she lost her life for it. "Deep Throat"An anonymous source who was a detective working on the Maskell case in 1994. One of the major theories that The Keepers hypothesizes is that Maskell either killed Sister Cathy or had her killed. 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.. 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. They made the right decision in participating it wasntalways easy to persuade someone to take part. 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. Shes so driven to find out what happened to her teacher. [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. 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. The Keepers was an intense docu-series on Netflix about an unsolved murder, and here are some bits of evidence the show has left out. Maskell left Baltimore for Ireland where he obtained amployment as a psychologist. She believes they might contain the names of people who were complicit in his crimes, or in covering them up. During his interview in "The Keepers," however, he denied any involvement. Her mutilated remains were found on January 1970 and her murder is still unsolved. Gemma Hoskins has helped dozens of victims get in touch with their investigators. 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. 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