"Deep Throat"An anonymous source who was a detective working on the Maskell case in 1994. 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. 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. Though she spent years in the dark, Radakovic is now regularly in touch with cold-case detectives after first meeting with them in the spring of 2016. 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. Sister Cathy went missing on Nov. 7, 1969, but her body was only discovered on Jan. 3, 1970. 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.. Season 2 of the podcast " Out of the Shadows ". She doesnt recognize that of course she lives small. Before that, Gemma spent 37 years as an elementary school teacher. The more peoplewatch it, the more information will come out of the woodwork. He first reported on Sister Cathy's story because of Wehner's accusation that Maskell was involved in her murder. True crime is only getting more popular, and Netflix never misses an opportunity to contribute to the zeitgeist, giving us The Keepers. 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. 'After that we had to break away from him. The tour features the Pic of Day: There was more disruption at Dublin Airport Thursday due to a drone sighting, one of half a dozen such incidents in recent weeks. 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. Everything Ive done, Ive really tried since that time which is just a little over a year ago for me Ive tried to give them all the information that Ive learned, she says of working with authorities. As she would discover, there are many people in Baltimore who believe Cesnik was killed because of what she may have known: that the all-girls Catholic high school in Baltimore where she had taught English, Archbishop Keough, had a history of sexual abuse. I do believe in so many other things than I ever did before. Donna VonDenBoschDonna VonDenBosch also has come forward as one of Maskell's abuse victims as a member of the Keough class of 1974. After Maskell died in 2001, the two women decided to go public, using their real names. 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. 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. (Radakovic was, in many ways, her sisters first student.) According to CNN, Bode Cellmark Forensics laboratory in Lorton, Virginia was responsible for comparing the DNA to the sample from the murder scene. [13][14] Police spokeswoman Elise Armacost announced that this discovery does not exclude Maskell from being a suspect in the case. It had to be somebody who knew her.'. Nicole Mello is an author of horrors, romances, and comedies. The grisly case has. Tricky geometry baffles the internet - but can YOU train your brain to solve how many triangles are in this image? The Oldest Irish American Newspaper in USA, Established in 1928, Bonds Between Irish America And Ireland Remain Strong: Survey. Also Read: 'The Keepers': Sister Cathy's Medical Examiner Also Worked on JFK, JonBenet Ramsey Cases. An image of Sister Cathy Cesnik's car found near her apartment the night she went missing Nov. 7, 1969 in Baltimore County. One of those calls went to a retired Baltimore County teacher, Gemma Hoskins. 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. Marilyn Cesnik Radakovics 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 Baltimore.. I think he's dead, but I may be wrong. Father Maskell was a counselor and chaplain at Archbishop Keough from 1967 to 1975. Refresh. She still spends at least part of every day trying to find those people. Does he ever reveal them? The Baltimore Archdiocese reached a $35,000 settlement with VonDenBosch in 2016. 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. Obviously, it has other meanings one other meaning was the idea of gatekeepers. Farm Heroes Saga, the #4 Game on iTunes. ', After Maskell's death, Jean Wehner came forward and revealed she was the student who the priest had taken to view Cesnik's body at the dump before her remains were officially found, Wehner claims the only nun at the school who sought to help the abused girls was Sister Cathy, The crime haunted the local community for decades. A lot of power. Play it now! 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. She was found dead two months later. 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. 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. Father A. Joseph MaskellAn administrator, psychologist and counselor at Keough when Sister Cathy was a teacher there, Maskell has been accused by dozens of students and other children of sexual abuse. The amount of people that have seen The Keepers now is mind-blowing around the world, White said. "The Keepers" explores the murder of Sister Catherine Cesnik, who disappeared in November 1969 and whose body was discovered in January of 1970. 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. She was very, very, very important to me.. And now the streaming, seven-part Netflix documentary, The Keepers, has investigated the case and will feature interviews with victims of the school abuse, and new revelations. Still wondering what happened to Baltimore's Sister Cathy? 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. But he never found the killer of Sister Catherine Ann Cesnik; he died of complications from diabetes on June 10, at age 79. Marilyn Cesnik RadakovicSister Cathy's younger sister, who joins the investigation with Hoskins and Schaub during "The Keepers.". Her unsolved murder served as the basis for the Netflix documentary series The Keepers in 2017. "Our best hope for solving this case at this point lies with the people who are still alive. Her life had been threatened and she had allegedly been abused by the priest. Days later, after an engagement party with her then-fiancs family, Radakovic got a call from her mother. The only way to do that was to find people who were involved. Throughout the series,the devastation experienced bysurvivors is laid bare,as is theirstrength in confronting unthinkable childhood horrors. She didn't come forward or join the lawsuit against Maskell in 1994. The Maryland Attorney Generals office has been investigating sexual abuse in the catholic church for nearly four years. She chose not to charge Maskell, saying the case lacked evidence. On May 17, the Baltimore Sun reported that his DNA did not match a sample that was taken. A few years ago my auntconnected me to Jean, her friend. Authorities said results will take up to six more weeks. 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. On November 7, 1969, Cathy Cesnik left her apartment in Catonsville to buy an engagement gift for her sister. On November 7, 1969, Cesnik disappeared. Bill Hughes is a Baltimore-based author, actor and photojournalist. Well, its funny how you asked that because I never saw it as taking on the Catholic Church. We shared a room until she went into the convent. Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. 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. Six years Cesniks junior, Radakovic grew up as her tag-along and daily charge, as Cesnik babysat while their parents worked. v. A. Joseph Maskell et al. And just kind of came up behind me and put it on my neck." Both had . One of them told Nugent, I saw her on the ground. When her daughter was born five years after that, Radakovic named her Catherine. Sister Cathy was a teacher at Archbishop Keough High School and went missing in Baltimore in 1969. In one scene, Jean told her friends, we are the keepers of the secrets, and I knew that had to be the title. The pair lived in the Carriage House Apartments building instead of at the convent, in an attempt to get closer to the secular world to better serve their students. Nearly 10 years ago the filmmakers started to meet with her; this was long before Netflix got involved. She moved into an apartment with another nun and was weighing her options. I was raised Catholic and I had a very positive experience. 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." 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. 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. Not every story that Ryan White heard gets told in The Keepers. Copyright 2023 PopCulture.com. I never grew up knowing her teacher had been murdered. This is huge news regarding Sister Cathy's case. And the oldest was in her 20's.. Gerald KoobA close friend of Sister Cathys, who says his relationship with her was almost romantic. [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. She didnt know Jeanhad gone through that 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. 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? Im also not a journalist or a detective but I borrowed a lot of skills from Gemmas skillset over the years. Sister Cathy Cesnik's disappearance and murder remain an unsolved mystery. ', Asked how they could get away with such a crime, Lancaster told the TV news interviewer, 'Power and fear. And this update involves Father Joseph Maskell. 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. Baltimore nun Cathy Cesnik, 26, vanished while out on a shopping trip in November 7, 1969. I had fond memoriesof the church, but for this, they were so non-participatory with it. 'There were a lot of layers that if you peeled them back went a lot deeper. They revealed themselves in "The Keepers" thanks to documentary filmmakers Ryan White and Jessica Hargrave. 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? 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. A headline in a Baltimore newspaper blared: 'City Police Fail To Find Missing Nun.'. A retired, unnamed police homicide detective revealed to Nugent that the church authorities had allegedly used influence to impede the police investigation into Sister Cathys murder. Nicole currently resides in Massachusetts with their husband and two best friends. This is huge news regarding Sister Cathy's case. As it turned out, he had close ties to the police: his brother was a lieutenant, and Maskell was chaplain for the Baltimore County force, along with the state police and the Maryland National Guard. And they used to it was horrible, it was just horrible, because I hated to leave, hated to leave. '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. When she was reported missing later that night, several dozen cops and half-a-dozen dog teams unsuccessfully searched a wide swath of Baltimore's southwest neighborhood searching for clues to her whereabouts. She said, You need to come home right away. Shes so driven to find out what happened to her teacher. Search from Sister Cathy Cesnik stock photos, pictures and royalty-free images from iStock. It allowed for Cesnik's . However, theres even more to the story to be considered: Sharon Mays husband used to be a state cop. "The Christmas after Sister Cesnik disappeared, Ed gave me this necklace as part of a Christmas gift. '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. I hope this documentary can be a tool of healing, but its about to be very triggering for the survivors, saidWhite. 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. Much like everyone else who . 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. 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. So much of the investigationof the murder disappeared and we ran into that time and time again. She was not part of the 1994 lawsuit but came forward later. The homicide remains unsolved, and for decades Radakovic believed Cesnik was the victim of a wrong place, wrong time crime. She was described as a tall, thin girl -- standing about 5 feet, 7 inches and weighing 112 pounds. [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. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own 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. 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. 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. There is no word on whether the Attorney General's investigators will gain access to those records. 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. It. I was shocked, I was so shocked, Radakovic tells PEOPLE. Bob ErlandsonBob Erlandson was a journalist working for the Baltimore Sun in 1993. Cesnik felt called by God to be a nun, her sister says, and she had a gift for teaching. 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. Supposedly, according to White and Jean Wehner, the Archdiocese opened an investigation into A. Joseph Maskell, and so, those records should exist. It was early 2016 and the couple was at the California apartment of Radakovics mother, who had recently died. Koob says that he and McKeon went to the movie "Easy Rider" the night of Sister Cathy's disappearance. There, on the ground, still clad, her face covered with maggots, was the body of Sister Cathy. Cesnik attended St. Mary's School on 57th Street and St. Augustine High School, both in Lawrenceville. Our focus was definitely on the survivors of Keough, but many Maskell victims cameafter Keough, and its horrifying. The Keepers will premiere on Netflix on May 19. I'm not going to name names right now but they know stuff. There are many questions swirling around the death of Sister Catherine "Cathy" Cesnik, a beloved 26-year-old nun and teacher in Baltimore found . He would eventually commit suicide. This seven-episode docuseries explores the still-unsolved murder of Sister Cathy Cesnik, a teacher at Archbishop Keough High School in Baltimore, Maryland. Radakovic was Cesnik's younger sister. ', 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.'. Baltimore's Metro Crime Stoppers has republished the reward for information about the murder of Sister Cathy Cesnik. On occasion, they will attempt to combine all three, as there really isnt too much to life overall than fear, love, and laughter. Cesnik was born in 1942 and grew up to become a nun at the all-girls Archbishop Keough High School in Baltimore, where . One of the most famous pieces of evidence from the show is the cigarette butt shown in episode six, found near Sister Cathys body. One of the major theories that The Keepers hypothesizes is that Maskell either killed Sister Cathy or had her killed. The spot was not easily accessible to a casual passerby. Eluding police questioning, Maskell eventually ran off to Ireland in 1994 to work as a priest. accessed ), memorial page for Sr Catherine Anne "Cathy" Cesnik (17 Nov . His account directly contradicts the church's story about what it knew about Maskell. There are a lot of people that are living that should be behind bars, she said. 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.. 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. But through Gemma and Abbie, we talked to about 25 for the documentary. White, the Keepers director, said nearly the same thing in a separate interview. He was a reporter for the Baltimore Sun and has written investigative reports for Mother Jones, the Chicago Tribune and the Washington Post. Because no criminal charges were leveled against Maskell, Wehner and Lancaster became plaintiffs in the 1994 lawsuit against Maskell and the archdiocese. And as long as youre alive, Cathy will be alive and dont ever forget that.. Updated by Nicole Mello on June 14, 2020: Justice still has not been found for Sister Cathy. I think Cathy was planning to go to the police about what was happening to us girls at Keough, says Jean Wehner, one of her former students, and [she] was killed to keep that from happening.. Sister Catherine Ann Cesnik was last seen alive on November 7, 1969. [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. So-called Grandma Nancy Drew Gemma Hoskins has spent years asking for the federal case files on Joyce Maleckis murder. The Keepers centres on the death of 26-year-old nun, Sister Cathy Cesnik, who went missing from Baltimore, Maryland on November 7th, 1969. 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. "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. Much like the government, the Catholic Church has their own internal system for keeping track of the people who make up their organization. I think it's pretty undeniable by the end of The Keepers that they are, and Jean is the nexus of that, White said. Forget little green men - life on distant exoplanets may resemble HUMANS, experts say, Kim Kardashian took out a staggering $48 MILLION mortgage to buy her sprawling $70M clifftop Malibu mansion once that was owned by Cindy Crawford - and used Britney Spears' notorious ex-business manager for the deal, 'We asked too much of the audience': Pixar exec admits Lightyear flopped for straying too far from Toy Story, with fans furious over lesbian kiss and axing of conservative star Tim Allen, Lady Gaga is sued by dog theft accomplice for refusing to pay $500K reward woman thought she'd get for returning Poker Face singer's two French bulldogs'no questions asked', 'There's something they're not telling us': Erin Brockovich says East Palestine community has been given 'horrible mixed messaging' about water safety, as wellheads remain 'locked up', 'It cuts like a knife': Attorney for family of LSU student Madison Brooks slam release of 'hurtful and shameful' video showing her in back of a car where four men 'raped her' before she was run over, Neo-Nazis plan 'Day of Hate' protests outside NYC synagogues after harassing audience members outside Ben Platt Broadway musical - where Mayor Eric Adams took to the stage and told them: 'This is not a place where hate lives', You can now KISS the bride! 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. For the next 47 years, the case went unsolved until now. ", Up Next: Netflix Hidden Gems For Sci-Fi And Fantasy Lovers. The suit was thrown out and Richter was never convicted of any wrongdoing. I don't understand what happens on the other side, she said. The call led Hoskins and Keough graduate, Abbie Schaub, to start their own research into Sister Cathy's murder. I mean, my mother loved eating chocolate, and I remember distinctly my mother said, Im gonna give up chocolate until Cathy comes home and then Im gonna eat chocolate until I get sick. . Maskell was never tried or convicted of any crimes, and he died in 2001. So we didn't want to set that as our bar, Hargrave said. 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. 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. Also Read: 'The Keepers': What's Behind the Name of the Netflix Documentary Series? She was a member of the Keough class of 1971. In the ensuing years, the sisters stayed in touch via letters and phone calls. 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. She was comfortablewith that the long length of production actuallyhelped her comfort level. More: Every Original Series Cancelled By Netflix. Tom NugentFreelance journalist Tom Nugent covered Sister Cathy's death starting in 1994. The discovery of Cesniks dead body rocked the family. And I looked at my husband and I said, Oh my God, Radakovic remembers now. Several days later, on November 13, 1969, the body of Joyce Malecki, a 20-year-old woman who looked like Wehner, was discovered by two hunters in the same wooded location where Maskell had driven Wehner. They scared the living hell out of us.'. 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 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.'. Published on May 18, 2017 10:03 AM. The mysterious Brother Bob is, in many ways, even more chilling a figure than A. Joseph Maskell. 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. NEXT:10 Creepy Documentaries To Watch If You Loved The Keepers. More than 40 years after her death, the case of Sister Cathy Cesnik's murder is still unsolved. And every time she came back home oh my gosh, it was like Christmas, Radakovic says. But her love is evident, too, for the woman she was so proud to have as her sister. White describes Radakovic as very brave, very outspoken, very direct and now, I would say, very, very driven to get answers.. There was only the two of us for a long time, so we were really close, Radakovic says. The idea that he terrorized many, and that the Catholic Church chose not to stop him. 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. 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. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Amateur sleuths have continued tracking the famous cold case in a new podcast series.