[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. By 1994, they and several other students had filed a lawsuit alleging physical and sexual abuse by Maskell through the 1960s and 1970s, according to Armacost. The most terrifying though? 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. Though White says he included absolutely all the information he knew in the documentary, he did contradict himself later by saying, The project was heavily vetted by lawyers there were times when I believed we knew somebody that was involved in the abuse, but we couldn't include a name for legal reasons. True crime buffs will know that this often happens, that the law tangles everything up in red tape so details like names and dates will be removed from stories. She was warm and energetic, always ready to engage with her students, writing musicals for them to perform on stage, or inventing games to encourage them to teach each other new vocabulary. Her life had been threatened and she had allegedly been abused by the priest. The call led Hoskins and Keough graduate, Abbie Schaub, to start their own research into Sister Cathy's murder. "The Keepers" premieres on Netflix May 19. , updated The show is responsible for initiating a deeper look into the case of A. Joseph Maskell and Sister Cathy Cesnik, as Baltimore County Police start investigating again due to a public outcry. Reply. Two women, both with close ties to an unnamed man who may have been . According to People, Jean Wehner suspected that Cesnik had planned to go to police, finally exposing Maskell for what he was. Cesnik attended St. Mary's School on 57th Street and St. Augustine High School, both in Lawrenceville. 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. The amount of people that have seen The Keepers now is mind-blowing around the world, White said. 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. 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. Source:https://www.spreaker.com/user/americancrimecast/sistercathy-1Join Gemma Hoskins and Shane Waters in this new podcast series about the unsolved murder . One of those calls went to a retired Baltimore County teacher, Gemma Hoskins. [10], Wehner says that, two months before Cesnik's body was discovered, and only a day or two after Cesnik disappeared on November 1969, Maskell drove her to a wooded site near Fort Meade and showed her the body. Later in 1994, authorities exhumed boxes Maskell had buried in a Baltimore cemetery and found one to contain child pornography. The church was her life and the people important to her were in the church, said Armacost. 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. 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. In a school where a number of the teachers seemed to know Joseph Maskell was "weird" but sent students to him at his request, Catherine Cesnik offered a light in a very dark, twisted place. All six murders are still unsolved, so technically, the similarities could just be coincidence, but despite the lack of evidence, experience tells investigators that there's some connection. Four former students also claimed that they were abused by Maskell, and a Baltimore Archdiocese spokesman acknowledged that Maskell was 'credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors. Meteorological records also reveal that temperatures during the week in question were warm enough for maggots to hatch. Their work is featured prominently, in "The Keepers.. Shortly before her disappearance, he'd called her again, telling her that he was still in love with her. [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]. The scandals were always covered up by reassigning the offending priests to new parishes or just saying they were "on sick leave.". Feb 7, 2019 - Justice for Sister Cathy . 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. [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. Does he ever reveal them? - May 30, 2017 05:42 pm EDT. It just means that there's no link between Maskell and the crime scene. Unfortunately, Russell is . Her body was left out in the open on a slight rise. Even after Cesnik left her job at Keough and took a position at Western, she still gave the girls a safe space to talk. She left for Baltimore at 18 to join the School Sisters of Notre Dame, eventually going on to teach at Archbishop Keough High School. And that often involved stripping them of their clothes, touching them in his "godly manner," or forcing them to pose for nude photos while he and the school's religious director watched with, wellunrestrained pleasure. While police were never able to bring charges against the priest, Caine said that 16 people who said Maskell abused them have since received money from the archdiocese as part of financial agreements. 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. True crime is only getting more popular, and Netflix never misses an opportunity to contribute to the zeitgeist, giving us The Keepers. ', The cop, who died in 2009, said it was a shame because he was certain the priest 'knew more than he was telling. Jan. 3, 1970, changed that. Pamela Lynn Conyers, 16, was last seen at the shopping mall in Glen Burnie on October 16, 1970, police said. Armacost says the timing of Maskells exhumation has nothing to do with the documentary, and opening the priests grave was simply a step that cold-case investigators felt needed to be taken to leave no stone unturned. Sister Catherine Cesnik is pictured with her father, Joseph Cesnik. However, Spitz, who worked on the case, later confirmed that there had been maggots in both the victim's mouth and trachea when found. On January 3, 1970, her body was found by a hunter and his son in an informal landfill located on the 2100 block of Monumental Road, in a remote area of Lansdowne. Other times, he would arrange full pseudo brothels. Another woman, Teresa Lancaster, also came forward. Police took DNA samples from the corpse to check against a DNA profile developed from evidence taken in 1970 from the scene in Maryland where the badly decomposed body of Sister Catherine Ann Cesnik had been found by a father and son out hunting. 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. 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. On November 7, 1969, 26-year-old Sister Catherine Cesnik vanished. It's just a theory one that makes sense, but also one that the police actually can't prove. The Catholic Church seems to know how to clean up its messes in general, withThe Guardian uncovering a much wider scandal in Boston (which led to worldwide concerns). More than 40 years after her death, the case of Sister Cathy Cesnik's murder is still unsolved. The theory that she was killed because she knew something about abuse that was going on by priests within the church continues to be a theory, but is not the only theory. And why should they? Netflix's documentary series "The Keepers" dives into the case and uncovers a web of abuse that may . One of the most famous pieces of evidence from the show is the cigarette butt shown in episode six, found near Sister Cathys body. 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. 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. As documentary-maker Ryan White asserted: 'What we discovered during the filmmaking process is that everything wasn't as it appeared to be. Joyce Helen Malecki (born June 12, 1949; disappeared November 11, 1969) was a 20-year-old American office worker from Baltimore, Maryland, who was employed at a liquor distributor.She disappeared on November 11, 1969, and was found dead two days later at the Soldier Park training area of Fort Meade.Malecki's murder remains unsolved; the Netflix documentary series The Keepers, released in May . 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. It was apparently a fixation for Maskell, who would then perform his own mock "exams" on the girls, flaunting his authority and power. May 19, 2017. 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. RELATED:10 Best True Crime Shows On Netflix. Gerard Koob it depends on the report) found her car unlocked around 4:40 a.m. on the day after her disappearance. By 1994, over a dozen allegations had been filed against Maskell by different women, some of whom had been abused, and others who had managed to fend off Maskell's advances. An autopsy attributed her death to a skull fracture caused by a blow to her left temple with a blunt instrument. Potential suspects seem like they should shed some light on a case, but that wasn't the case here, as Huffpost documents. I'm not going to name names right now but they know stuff. 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. But she wasn't fully happy there, and by 1969, at the age of 26, Cesnik knew she had potential that her order was stifling, knew she could become so much more, and moved out to take a job at Western High School. 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 taught English and ran the drama club. They revealed themselves in "The Keepers" thanks to documentary filmmakers Ryan White and Jessica Hargrave. It seems that either the Archdiocese is lying about having investigated the accusations, or the Archdiocese is lying about having internal records on A. Joseph Maskell. They got in touch with the local police, reporting that Cesnik had gone missing. Ghosts of the past might've followed her, though, punishing her for what she knew and the good she did. Sharon May states firmly and rudely in her interview that she had absolutely no involvement in any sort of cover-up. The case remains open and unsolved. But I can whole-heartedly say, Cathy has been very much a part of all this.. One night, he invited Wehner into his car, only to take her to see Cesnik's dead body, long before it was discovered. 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. '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. But that argument didn't fly in the 90s. Sister Catherine Cesnik is pictured with her father, Joseph Cesnik. The Maryland Attorney Generals office has been investigating sexual abuse in the catholic church for nearly four years. The same happened in 1994. Discovery Company. Baltimore Detective Lt. Sam Bowerman always believed Sister Cathy was killed by a man who either lived in, or was familiar with, the area around the Carriage House Apartments, knew the location off Monument Avenue where her body was dumped, and that the murder was unplanned. It was thrown out on a technicality, according to Huffpost. I think he's dead, but I may be wrong. Peter McKeon and Gerard J. Koob. The women have since been more vocal about the abuses they suffered at Joseph Maskell's hands, and all the stories are universally awful (via Huffpost). Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. As time would tell, she had good reason to keep quiet. 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. 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. She'd said no, but they still kept writing love letters and spending time together. ', Giangrasso also believed Sister Cathy's killing was church-related, telling the Huffington Post: 'I personally thought it was in-house, within her social network the priests and the religious order.'. Born in Pittsburgh, Penn., in 1942, reports the Baltimore Sun, Cesnik was described by her younger sister as devoted and rather ambitious. Her body was found a few months later, discarded unceremoniously in a garbage dump. She Was Found Fatally Beaten Two Months After Disappearing in 1969. The trial court dismissed the action as time-barred by the statute of limitations. The Huffington Post reported that Maskell told Wehner, "You see what happens when you say bad things about people?"[1]. However, theres even more to the story to be considered: Sharon Mays husband used to be a state cop. [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. 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.". They were all young, attractive women, police said, who looked similar. However, they say theres nothing, even though Jean Wehner found many victims willing to come forward simply by sending out letters in the mail. Reunion on 'Blue Bloods', 'Sister Wives' Star Meri Brown Clarifies Her Sexuality After Split From Kody. 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.On November 7, 1969, Cesnik disappeared. RELATED:Netflixs Tiger King: 15 Best Joe Exotic Quotes. A young, conspicuously attractive woman, 1 she connected with her students. Ultimately, Maskell died in 2001, having never been charged for a thing. 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. RELATED: 10 Exciting New Netflix Originals Still Coming In 2019. The murder of Sister Catherine Cesnik remains unsolved to this day. 'The Keepers' Update: New DNA Evidence Found In Sister Cathy Cesniks Murder Case, 'Yellowstone' Fans Shocked at Series' Reported Demise, Jessica Biel Reacts to Elizabeth Olsen's Candy Montgomery Show 'Love & Death', 'True Lies' Stars Steve Howey and Ginger Gonzaga Talk Stunts, Style, and the Iconic Beverly D'Angelo Ahead of New CBS Action Series Premiere (Exclusive), 'The View' Hosts Defend Marjorie Taylor Greene: 'I Have to Say, I'm on Marjorie's Side', Eugene Levy Gives Hope to Potential 'Schitt's Creek' Revival, 'Today' Show Fans Concerned as Hoda Kotb's Week-long Absence Continues, Tom Selleck and Larry Manetti Reunite for 'Mangum, P.I.' RELATED:Everything Available At Launch On HBO Max. All Rights Reserved. But I do think that there are individuals who are still living who know exactly what happened, she said. The Keepers, a 7-part documentary, is currently available to stream on Netflix. The mysterious Brother Bob is, in many ways, even more chilling a figure than A. Joseph Maskell. 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. Grace Elizabeth Montanye, 16, met a stranger at a shopping mall on Sept 29, 1971, northwest of Baltimore, according to police. Something was clearly wrong, and so, according to the Baltimore Sun, Helen Russell Phillips called on the help of a few friends revs. ', 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. 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. She'd spin stories and excuses, telling Maskell that they were studying or otherwise occupied by something that they couldn't get away from. 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