In the 1990s, Jean Wehner came forward and alleged that Father Maskell had sexually abused her and allowed other men to do the same. 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." Does he ever reveal them? She also thinks Sister Cathy was murdered because she knew about Maskells abuse and was going to come forward. I would hang on to her, and she was like, Youre gonna get me thrown out! , And shed tell Cesnik, Thats what Im trying to do, Cathy, Im trying to do. Id say to my dad, Get the car, well steal her. . Billy SchmidtSister Cathy's neighbor in the Carriage Hill Apartments building. "The Keepers" premieres on Netflix May 19. But officials have declined to identify that person. 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.". The Baltimore police has since reopened its investigation. The biggest hurdle was that the case was so old, that it was 45 years old. And the oldest was in her 20's.. 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. The Keepers centres on the death of 26-year-old nun, Sister Cathy Cesnik, who went missing from Baltimore, Maryland on November 7th, 1969. Lil Hughes KnippAnother of the women who were abused at Keough, Lil Hughes Knipp did not come forward until years after the 1994 lawsuit. In the show, the audience briefly hears about the fact that Ireland has claims on A. Joseph Maskell, as well, that the Catholic Church continues to cover up. Well, its funny how you asked that because I never saw it as taking on the Catholic Church. 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. More than 40 years after her death, the case of Sister Cathy Cesnik's murder is still unsolved. 'The Keepers' Update: New DNA Evidence Found In Sister Cathy Cesniks Murder Case, Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes Should Remain On-Air Couple After ABC Exit, According to TV Host, Ryan Seacrest Addresses 'American Idol' Future After Exiting 'Live With Kelly and Ryan', 'Yellowstone': Paramount Boss Addresses Matthew McConaughey Spinoff Rumors, 'Yellowstone' Franchise Plans to Debut 2 Shows Every Year, 'Star Trek: Discovery' Fate Revealed at Paramount+ Ahead of Fifth Season, 'The Bachelor' Fans Slam New Season as Boring, Brie & Nikki Bella to Host Reality Competition Series, 'The Office' Alum's Sister-In-Law Found Dead Over 10 Days After Being Reported Missing. Schaub was previously a nurse. I always felt like there was some reason for me to be here and I didn't know what it was. The letters contents and its link to the case, if any, have never been confirmed by police, though the family turned it over as evidence soon after Radakovic got it. 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. 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. They did stuff. 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. The comments below have not been moderated. One of the major theories that The Keepers hypothesizes is that Maskell either killed Sister Cathy or had her killed. Marilyn Cesnik RadakovicSister Cathy's younger sister, who joins the investigation with Hoskins and Schaub during "The Keepers.". 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. [6] Residents at the apartment complex noticed Cesnik in her car at approximately 8:30 that night, and others spotted her car illegally parked across the street about two hours later. Detectives traveled to the Seattle area to interview the man, but without any solid evidence they were unable to elicit a confession. Amateur sleuths have continued tracking the famous cold case in a new podcast series. I mean, its a survivor story at its core. The Baltimore Sun reported in late 2016 that since 2011 the archdiocese has paid out settlements to Maskell's alleged victims. It was early 2016 and the couple was at the California apartment of Radakovics mother, who had recently died. I think he's dead, but I may be wrong. Nicole Mello is an author of horrors, romances, and comedies. Magnus died in 1988 and was never charged with any crimes. Moreover, she said that along with the priest, she was abused by police officers. Brother BobA third abuser who "Jane Doe" remembers from her days at Keough, but whose face she cannot recall. 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. The plaintiffs suits are thus barred by the statute of limitation. Sharon A.H. MayThe Baltimore State's attorney working on the Maskell case in 1994. Stuff being crimes, and they're walking around.. He refuses to be identified, allegedly because he fears reprisals from people responsible for the cover-up of Sister Cathy's death and Maskell's abuse. And as long as youre alive, Cathy will be alive and dont ever forget that.. I don't understand what happens on the other side, she said. Well, for all the fans with remaining questions, there has been an update in the murder case. On November 7, 1969, Cesnik disappeared. Is Sister Cathy Cesnik's Death Connected to Sex Scandal? - PEOPLE.com 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. Either way, theyre lying and withholding information that would be helpful to the case. Were you impressed with Gemmas investigative skills given that she has no police or journalism experience? 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. Whats worse than considering the fact that A. Joseph Maskell terrorized one community? "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. 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. 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. Catherine Anne Cesnik was born on November 17, 1942, in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. And she has not stopped looking into the murder of her former teacher. Published on May 18, 2017 10:03 AM. What we tried to do in the editing was present all various narratives. She moved into an apartment with another nun and was weighing her options. Father Maskell was also, for a time, an assistant pastor at St. Clements Church in Landsdowne. "The Christmas after Sister Cesnik disappeared, Ed gave me this necklace as part of a Christmas gift. 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.. Wehner says she remembers trying repeatedly to brush off the maggots crawling on Cesnik's face while frantically repeating the words, "Help me, help me." The only evidence that she had been out, were the buns she had bought at the bakery. Making a Murderer was sucha phenomenon and if we have a fraction the popularity of Making a Murderer, I will be a happy filmmaker. ", Up Next: Netflix Hidden Gems For Sci-Fi And Fantasy Lovers. A lot of power. 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. But hes only willing to share a slice of it. Hoskins did write about her theory on the killer in her book "Keeping On: How I came To Know Why I Was Born.. 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. Were you scared of taking on the Catholic Church? 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. If you were part of the Facebookgroup, people got to know us very well. 'The Keepers': What Are Repressed and Recovered Memories? - TheWrap Five Years After "The Keepers" the Murder of Sister Cathy Cesnik - WMAR ', He claimed that the detectives were told to either charge the priest 'or let him go. At this point, Im so disenchanted with my church its really disappointing. I think it's pretty undeniable by the end of The Keepers that they are, and Jean is the nexus of that, White said. Sr Catherine Anne "Cathy" Cesnik (1942-1969) - Find a Grave 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. Detectives investigating her death believe she may have encountered her murderer outside her apartment since her car was found parked in the complex the day after her disappearance. The case remains open and unsolved. ', The cop, who died in 2009, said it was a shame because he was certain the priest 'knew more than he was telling. 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. Some are calling it The Next Making a Murderer' what is your response to that? 'The Keepers': Here's What Has Happened Since the Netflix - TheWrap She always wanted to become a Personal Investigator. 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. Because no criminal charges were leveled against Maskell, Wehner and Lancaster became plaintiffs in the 1994 lawsuit against Maskell and the archdiocese. Also Read: 'The Keepers': Sister Cathy's Medical Examiner Also Worked on JFK, JonBenet Ramsey Cases. When she realized Sister Cathy was missing, she called Koob, and together with him and McKeon, the three later called the police. It allowed for Cesnik's . So we didn't want to set that as our bar, Hargrave said. An autopsy revealed Cathy Cesnik had been struck on the back of her head, there was a hole the size of a quarter in her skull, and there were strangulation marks on her neck. Radakovic was Cesnik's younger sister. 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. She was part of the Keough class of 1972. Sister Cathy's battered body - she had been beaten over the head - was discovered . 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. 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.. One of the most famous pieces of evidence from the show is the cigarette butt shown in episode six, found near Sister Cathys body. 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.. Search from Sister Cathy Cesnik stock photos, pictures and royalty-free images from iStock. We still remain optimistic that its possible for us to clear this case, Armacost says. As The Keepers details, Radakovics engagement may have been one of the last things on Cesniks mind before she vanished while shopping on Nov. 7, 1969. 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. In her first interview about Cesnik, Radakovic speaks to PEOPLE about who her sister really was, what the decades after her death have been like and her renewed quest for answers. And just kind of came up behind me and put it on my neck." What the show doesnt get into is that the FBI has pushed back the date even further now. She suffered blunt force trauma to her head and the case remains open to this day. Sister Cathy Cesnik's disappearance and murder remain an unsolved mystery. There are a lot of people that are living that should be behind bars, she said. 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. He would eventually commit suicide. Advocates, filmmakers say they have not given up. RELATED:Everything Available At Launch On HBO Max. 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. 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. ", All the people you need to know to follow Netflixs sprawling documentary series The Keepers. 'The Keepers': What's Behind the Name of the Netflix Documentary Series? If the Archdiocese is willing to blatantly lie about this, what else are they lying about? 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. Netflix documentary series explores the 1970 murder of Sister Catherine Cesnik. However, they say theres nothing, even though Jean Wehner found many victims willing to come forward simply by sending out letters in the mail. Farm Heroes Saga, the #4 Game on iTunes. 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. Nearly 10 years ago the filmmakers started to meet with her; this was long before Netflix got involved. RELATED: 10 Exciting New Netflix Originals Still Coming In 2019. They have another project scheduled to come out later this year. She still spends at least part of every day trying to find those people. The church has denied the charges, but it has settled dozens of sexual abuse cases in the matter of Father Maskell. The Baltimore Archdiocese reached a $35,000 settlement with VonDenBosch in 2016. A Pittsburgh native, Cesnik headed to Baltimore at 18 to join the School Sister of Notre Dame, a religious order whose nuns had taught her in grade school. 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. 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. '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. Koob was a Jesuit priest at the time of Sister Cathys murder. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? The series also renewed the investigations into the murders of two women, Sister Cathy Cesnik and Joyce Malecki. And I looked at my husband and I said, Oh my God, Radakovic remembers now. All rights reserved. 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. Friday, Nov. 7, 1969 - Sister Cesnik, 26, left her Baltimore apartment for Edmondson Village Shopping Center in the early evening, according to her roommate, Sister Helen Russell Phillips. [1] There are many questions swirling around the death of Sister Catherine "Cathy" Cesnik, a beloved 26-year-old nun and teacher in Baltimore found . Tweet. In "The Keepers," Davidson said he called a radio show years later and said he had information about the case. 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. Sister Catherine Ann Cesnik - Baltimore County 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. The Keepers will premiere on Netflix on May 19. Supposedly, according to White and Jean Wehner, the Archdiocese opened an investigation into A. Joseph Maskell, and so, those records should exist. And they just paid settlements to the survivors its not that they deny it happened. Maskell was never tried or convicted of any crimes, and he died in 2001. The more peoplewatch it, the more information will come out of the woodwork. Authorities said results will take up to six more weeks. Updated by Nicole Mello on June 14, 2020: Justice still has not been found for Sister Cathy. 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? In another scenario, James Maskell arrested a man named Phillip Shane after the two of them got into an altercation and Maskell lied about how they came to blows. "Our best hope for solving this case at this point lies with the people who are still alive. Viewers of The Keepers do not fondly reflect on Sharon May, the prosecutor in charge of the Maryland State Attorneys Office Sex Abuse Unit. The Keough priest who allegedly masterminded the sex abuse, Father A. Joseph Maskell, died in 2001 and denied the abuse accusations before his death. [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. Sister Joanita (Cathy) requested permission to take a sabbatical from the Order. However, this is a small step towards justice. 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. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Her body was found January 3, 1970. Their interactions have sometimes been fraught, and she tells PEOPLE, Theres a lot that we still would like to see them do.. Netflix's latest true-crime documentary The Keepers is a hit and everyone who has watched the series has only one question: who killed Sister Cathy Cesnik? Her rosary was missing, but her rings were in place? Except for that day, she said. 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. She was not part of the 1994 lawsuit but came forward 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. They talked about Radakovics impending college graduation and that she might move to Baltimore and stay in Cesniks apartment. RELATED:Netflixs Tiger King: 15 Best Joe Exotic Quotes. Find high-quality stock photos that you won't find anywhere else. She was comfortablewith that the long length of production actuallyhelped her comfort level. 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. More: Every Original Series Cancelled By Netflix. 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. Her mutilated remains were found on January 1970 and her murder is still unsolved. But I do think that there are individuals who are still living who know exactly what happened, she said. On the evening she disappeared, Sister Cathy was reportedly counseling one of the abused girls when Maskell unexpectedly showed up. 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. Not every story that Ryan White heard gets told in The Keepers. When her daughter was born five years after that, Radakovic named her Catherine. On November 7, 1969, Cesnik disappeared. Murdaugh is heckled as he leaves court, Ken Bruce finishes his 30-year tenure as host of BBC Radio 2, Missing hiker buried under snow forces arm out to wave to helicopter, Hershey's Canada releases HER for SHE bars featuring a trans activist, Insane moment river of rocks falls onto Malibu Canyon in CA, Fleet-footed cop chases an offender riding a scooter, Family of a 10-month-old baby filmed vaping open up. 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. Netflix's documentary series "The Keepers" dives into the case and uncovers a web of abuse. 'The Keepers': What's Behind the Name of the Netflix - TheWrap 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. 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. [13][14] Police spokeswoman Elise Armacost announced that this discovery does not exclude Maskell from being a suspect in the case. There was only the two of us for a long time, so we were really close, Radakovic says. Copyright 2022 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. The amount of people that have seen The Keepers now is mind-blowing around the world, White said. Sister Catherine Cesnik: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know I can still feel her touch my cheek, said Hargadon-Wehner, in a recent interview. Police dropped him as a target before he died. Season 2 of the podcast " Out of the Shadows ". Her mutilated remains were found on January 1970 and her murder is still unsolved. Before that, Gemma spent 37 years as an elementary school teacher. After the complaints were made to the archdiocese, Maskell was temporarily removed from his post at the school for psychological evaluation. James Maskell, A. Joseph Maskells uncle, is a similarly powerful and threatening figure that deserves to be prodded harder. 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. 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.. More than 40 years after her death, the case of Sister Cathy Cesnik's murder is still unsolved. However, the material was never entered into evidence. Though they had an age difference of about six years, the two girls were very close growing up, even sharing the same bedroom. The mysterious Brother Bob is, in many ways, even more chilling a figure than A. Joseph Maskell. Another woman, Teresa Lancaster, also came forward. 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. 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. Still wondering what happened to Sister Cathy? Podcast continues I've talked to the hunter that found Cathy, and he said that since the day he found her the police have never talked to him. 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. Baltimore's Metro Crime Stoppers has republished the reward for information about the murder of Sister Cathy Cesnik. I do believe in so many other things than I ever did before. "[9], Wehner said that Cesnik once came to her and said gently, "Are the priests hurting you?" 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. In the end, The Keepers doesnt solve its biggest question: Who killed Sister Cathy? This is huge news regarding Sister Cathy's case. 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.
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