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. On occasion, they will attempt to combine all three, as there really isnt too much to life overall than fear, love, and laughter. There are countless untold stories backing up the accusations made against A. Joseph Maskell and the Catholic Church that the docuseries doesnt even begin to explore. Sharon Mays husband, V. Eric W. May, Sr., was a state cop while Sharon was a prosecutor, providing the two of them even more opportunity to participate in a cover-up. And I can hear Cathy saying 'I told you I'd take care of this' and I said, I didn't think you meant 20 years later. Joyce MaleckiThe 20-year-old Baltimore woman went missing on Nov. 11, 1969. It started with a freelance journalist, Tom Nugent. Still wondering what happened to Baltimore's Sister Cathy? The series delves deeply into sexual abuse allegations and a lawsuit against Father Maskell brought by Jane Doe, now identified as Wehner, and Jane Roe, since identified as Teresa Lancaster. But some thirty women soon came forward with accounts of sexual abuse at the school. Stuff being crimes, and they're walking around.. She may have made a purchase at Muhly's Bakery in Edmondson Village, since a box of buns from that bakery was found in the front seat of her car. 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. But her love is evident, too, for the woman she was so proud to have as her sister. 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. [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. She still spends at least part of every day trying to find those people. Among the other errands she ran that night, Cesnik was also looking to buy a present for her sister. She believes they might contain the names of people who were complicit in his crimes, or in covering them up. Exposs on the Catholic Church have been steadily being released, with more and more people coming forward over time, but the Church refuses to make a clear statement in the case of A. Joseph Maskell. Not every story that Ryan White heard gets told in The Keepers. 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. Supposedly, according to White and Jean Wehner, the Archdiocese opened an investigation into A. Joseph Maskell, and so, those records should exist. More than 40 years after her death, the case of Sister Cathy Cesnik's murder is still unsolved. 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. RELATED:Netflixs Tiger King: 15 Best Joe Exotic Quotes. Its possible Flaherty and Maskell had some deeper connection at the time that has simply been completely overlooked. I wont tell you my theory, but I will say: I believe Jean, and I have corroboratedJean, that this is a woman who was telling the truth from the beginning. And just kind of came up behind me and put it on my neck." 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. Radakovic was Cesnik's younger sister. In "The Keepers," Davidson said he called a radio show years later and said he had information about the case. 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. The next time the young nun was seen, it was by a female student from Cesnik's school, Archbishop Keough High School. Following her disappearance, investigators plotted her movements and determined she had cashed her $255 paycheck at a bank before heading to a small shopping center where she bought some baked goods. They encourage everyone reading this to question everything, stay hydrated, and treat others with kindness. Brother BobA third abuser who "Jane Doe" remembers from her days at Keough, but whose face she cannot recall. 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. 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. He later returned to the U.S. and died in 2001. [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. Theyd ring a bell and [the girls] were required to get up and just walk away., But Radakovic couldnt let go. Netflix documentary series explores the 1970 murder of Sister Catherine Cesnik. Marilyn Cesnik RadakovicSister Cathy's younger sister, who joins the investigation with Hoskins and Schaub during "The Keepers.". She didn't come forward or join the lawsuit against Maskell in 1994. 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. In the end, The Keepers doesnt solve its biggest question: Who killed Sister Cathy? 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. (Handout photo courtesy of Netflix) Catherine Cesnik, a 26-year-old. I think the really special part of The Keepers is that people arespeaking up for a lot of people who didnt survive it. Former students of the Catholic school have maintained that the priest was somehow involved in Sister Cathy's murder. More than 40 years after her death, the case of Sister Cathy Cesnik's murder is still unsolved. More than 40 years after her death, the case of Sister Cathy Cesnik's murder is still unsolved. accessed ), memorial page for Sr Catherine Anne "Cathy" Cesnik (17 Nov . The Maryland Attorney Generals office has been investigating sexual abuse in the catholic church for nearly four years. A lot of power. 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. As documentary-maker Ryan White asserted: 'What we discovered during the filmmaking process is that everything wasn't as it appeared to be. Police dropped him as a target before he died. An image of Sister Cathy Cesnik's car found near her apartment the night she went missing Nov. 7, 1969 in Baltimore County. On November 7, 1969, Cathy Cesnik left her apartment in Catonsville to buy an engagement gift for her sister. It just means that there's no link between Maskell and the crime scene. Oddly, her Ford Maverick, which she had recently purchased, was found just a block from her apartment parked illegally in a no parking area and unlocked. They scared the living hell out of us.'. Our focus was definitely on the survivors of Keough, but many Maskell victims cameafter Keough, and its horrifying. The church first learned of the allegations in 1992 and removed Maskell as a priest in 1994, as soon as it had corroborating accounts of his abuse, according to Sean Caine, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Baltimore. There, on the ground, still clad, her face covered with maggots, was the body of Sister Cathy. Copyright 2022 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 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. Ryan White's aunt attended Archbishop Keough High School, and had stayed in touch with Jean Hargadon-Wehner. Both women have said that she was the only member of the school's staff who helped them and other girls abused by Maskell, et al., and have said that she was murdered prior to discussing the matter with the archdiocese of Baltimore. Cesnik was found on a freezing January day in 1970 in Baltimore County, nearly two months after she vanished near her apartment. That documentary series, The Keepers, premiered on Netflix on Friday with Radakovic as a key participant. Magnus died in 1988 and was never charged with any crimes. Nugents insights on the matter will be featured in the Netflix series. She was a member of the Keough class of 1970. In 1969, at 26 years old, Cesnik faced an impasse in her life and career, Radakovic says. 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 a reporter for the Baltimore Sun and has written investigative reports for Mother Jones, the Chicago Tribune and the Washington Post. It allowed for Cesnik's . In one scene, Jean told her friends, we are the keepers of the secrets, and I knew that had to be the title. Nov. 11-13, 1969: Joyce Malecki Is Killed. The series also renewed the investigations into the murders of two women, Sister Cathy Cesnik and Joyce Malecki. 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. SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY NEWSLETTER, FIRST TAKE, 'The Keepers' Filmmaker: Father Maskell Abused 40 Victims, Not Just the 6 in Netflix's Doc. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. It. Sister Cathy Cesnik's disappearance and murder remain an unsolved mystery. 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. Before that, Gemma spent 37 years as an elementary school teacher. 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. 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. They revealed themselves in "The Keepers" thanks to documentary filmmakers Ryan White and Jessica Hargrave. According to CNN, Bode Cellmark Forensics laboratory in Lorton, Virginia was responsible for comparing the DNA to the sample from the murder scene. ', One former student, Teresa Lancaster, told WJZ-TV in Baltimore, that Sister Cathy had 'confronted' Maskell 'and she lost her life for it. ', 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'. He first reported on Sister Cathy's story because of Wehner's accusation that Maskell was involved in her murder. After a week of teaching, Sister Cathy, a member of the Sisters of Notre Dame, and the daughter of a Pennsylvania postal worker, decided on Friday night that she was going to go shopping. Maskell left Baltimore for Ireland where he obtained amployment as a psychologist. . 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. However, Spitz, who worked on the case, later confirmed that there had been maggots in both the victim's mouth and trachea when found. They talked about Radakovics impending college graduation and that she might move to Baltimore and stay in Cesniks apartment. There is one living suspect in Cesniks homicide, according to police spokeswoman Elise Armacost. She joined the School Sisters of Notre Dame when she was 18. Part 1 - Victim Featured in The Keepers Tells Story of Survival in New Book, Part 2 - Attorney Believes Criminal Charges A Possibility in Sex Abuse Investigation. 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.. 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. There are six survivors showcased in the documentarybut we had many conversationswith other survivors who werent featured in the documentary. I dont know how they do it I dont think she knows. 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 Keepers" explores the murder of Sister Catherine Cesnik, who disappeared in November 1969 and whose body was discovered in January of 1970. 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.. ", court of Appeals of Maryland, No. Eluding police questioning, Maskell eventually ran off to Ireland in 1994 to work as a priest. ", Up Next: Netflix Hidden Gems For Sci-Fi And Fantasy Lovers. More: Every Original Series Cancelled By Netflix. So much of the investigationof the murder disappeared and we ran into that time and time again. 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. Well, for all the fans with remaining questions, there has been an update in the murder case. She was found dead two months later. 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. 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? Everyone has a different theory. [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]. [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. I was shocked, I was so shocked, Radakovic tells PEOPLE. I can still feel her touch my cheek, said Hargadon-Wehner, in a recent interview. But in interviews conducted before his death, he found these. And the oldest was in her 20's.. 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. What do you think happened to Sister Cathy? 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. 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. Gerald KoobA close friend of Sister Cathys, who says his relationship with her was almost romantic. The Oldest Irish American Newspaper in USA, Established in 1928, Bonds Between Irish America And Ireland Remain Strong: Survey. More than 40 years after her death, the case of Sister Cathy Cesnik's murder is still unsolved. Later in 1994, authorities exhumed boxes Maskell had buried in a Baltimore cemetery and found one to contain child pornography. 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. We went through Christmas with Cathy being missing, and that whole time because I had gotten that letter I was sure she was alive, Radakovic says. But he never found the killer of Sister Catherine Ann Cesnik; he died of complications from diabetes on June 10, at age 79. All rights reserved. If the Archdiocese is willing to blatantly lie about this, what else are they lying about? Something has happened to your sister. . 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. She was very, very, very important to me.. 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. Catherine Anne Cesnik was born on November 17, 1942, in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It started with a freelance journalist, Tom Nugent. Her body was partially naked and her head had been bashed in, but there was little physical evidence at the scene. 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.. Viewers of The Keepers do not fondly reflect on Sharon May, the prosecutor in charge of the Maryland State Attorneys Office Sex Abuse Unit. 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? A headline in a Baltimore newspaper blared: 'City Police Fail To Find Missing Nun.'. 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. Tom NugentFreelance journalist Tom Nugent covered Sister Cathy's death starting in 1994. The documentary was produced by Ryan White. 'There were a lot of layers that if you peeled them back went a lot deeper. On November 7, 1969, Cesnik disappeared. The Keough priest who allegedly masterminded the sex abuse, Father A. Joseph Maskell, died in 2001 and denied the abuse accusations before his death. Baltimore nun Cathy Cesnik, 26, vanished while out on a shopping trip in November 7, 1969. Nasal spray reduces risk of infection 86% - nearly DOUBLE protection given by shot in arm, Mom who lost both sons to fentanyl blasts laughing Biden, Two Russian tanks annihilated with bombs by Ukrainian armed forces, Isabel Oakeshott receives 'menacing' message from Matt Hancock, Pavement where disabled woman gestured at cyclist before fatal crash, Pro-Ukrainian drone lands on Russian spy planes exposing location, 'Buster is next!' 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. - May 30, 2017 05:42 pm EDT. People walked to suicide, people are still hiding and keeping their secrets, and I think all of the survivors recognize the power in numbers. [1] 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. The case remains open and unsolved. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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. In 2004, a retired Baltimore homicide detective told the Baltimore City Paper that the church lawyers had 'stepped in and they talked to the higher-ups at the police department. 102, September Term 1995, "Baltimore Archdiocese Pays Settlements to a Dozen People Alleging Abuse by Late Priest", "Netflix's 'The Keepers' generates interest in other Md. In the 1990s, Jean Wehner came forward and alleged that Father Maskell had sexually abused her and allowed other men to do the same. She was just 26 at the time of her death. 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The homicide remains unsolved, and for decades Radakovic believed Cesnik was the victim of a wrong place, wrong time crime. Nicole currently resides in Massachusetts with their husband and two best friends. But through Gemma and Abbie, we talked to about 25 for the documentary. I do believe in so many other things than I ever did before. Though they had an age difference of about six years, the two girls were very close growing up, even sharing the same bedroom. That was the first time I had learned of any of this.. His account directly contradicts the church's story about what it knew about Maskell. And I looked at my husband and I said, Oh my God, Radakovic remembers now. As time would tell, she had good reason to keep quiet. We had no idea that people would still be talking about it five years later, and that people would still be watching it five years later.. 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. 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. "For now, we've pretty well reached the end of the road when it comes to forensic evidence," Elise Armacost, a spokesperson for the Baltimore County Police Department said. Shes so driven to find out what happened to her teacher. [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. Kathy HobeckIn addition to Wehner and Lancaster, Kathy Hobeck is one of six abuse victims who appears in "The Keepers." 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. The exact number of his victims remains unclear. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. [5], In the fall of 1969, Cesnik was teaching drama and English at Archbishop Keough High School in Baltimore, Maryland,[6] a school for girls that had opened in 1965. Radakovic, now in her 60s, remains determined. 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. Their work is featured prominently, in "The Keepers.. 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. 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. 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. She didnt know Jeanhad gone through that abuse. She had brown hair and brown eyes. Unfortunately, Russell is . 'After that we had to break away from him. Her body was found in Lansdowne, south of Baltimore,. 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. Play it now! There is no word on whether the Attorney General's investigators will gain access to those records. For us, our bar was more about bringing these womens experiences to light and starting this conversation.. Her body was found in a wooded area two days later. 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. 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. And as long as youre alive, Cathy will be alive and dont ever forget that.. Father Neil MagnusAnother of the administrators at Keough, Magnus was accused of participating in sexually abusing students along with Maskell. 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..
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