However, the material was never entered into evidence. 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. There is even more to this than meets the eye; White said there are about thirty-five other survivors just like her, and more reaching out all the time. I can still feel her touch my cheek, said Hargadon-Wehner, in a recent interview. After the complaints were made to the archdiocese, Maskell was temporarily removed from his post at the school for psychological evaluation. Making a Murderer was sucha phenomenon and if we have a fraction the popularity of Making a Murderer, I will be a happy filmmaker. But I do think that there are individuals who are still living who know exactly what happened, she said. Baltimore nun Cathy Cesnik, 26, vanished while out on a shopping trip in November 7, 1969. The documentary was produced by Ryan White. 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. Its possible Flaherty and Maskell had some deeper connection at the time that has simply been completely overlooked. 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. I never grew up knowing her teacher had been murdered. Nicole currently resides in Massachusetts with their husband and two best friends. 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. The comments below have not been moderated. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Season 2 of the podcast " Out of the Shadows ". And why should they? Either way, theyre lying and withholding information that would be helpful to the case. The Keepers centres on the death of 26-year-old nun, Sister Cathy Cesnik, who went missing from Baltimore, Maryland on November 7th, 1969. [1] We still remain optimistic that its possible for us to clear this case, Armacost says. Because no criminal charges were leveled against Maskell, Wehner and Lancaster became plaintiffs in the 1994 lawsuit against Maskell and the archdiocese. Nicole Mello is an author of horrors, romances, and comedies. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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. They made the right decision in participating it wasntalways easy to persuade someone to take part. Search from Sister Cathy Cesnik stock photos, pictures and royalty-free images from iStock. Just a few days before she vanished, the priest reportedly called her and, once again expressing his love, had asked her to marry him. Their work is featured prominently, in "The Keepers.. "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. Source: Justice for Catherine Cesnik and Joyce Malecki Facebook Group, Mysterious 'Lady in the Fridge' Murder Victim Identified After 27 Years, Woman Adopted as Infant Learns that Biological Mom Was Allegedly Murdered by Serial Killers, Ohio Mom Facing Eviction Kills Husband, Son, and Her Father Before Turning Gun on Herself, MMA Fighter Allegedly Stabbed Ex-Girlfriend 17 Times, Stuffed Body in Storage Bin, Hid Her in Closet, Inside the Mysterious Death of a Pregnant Fla. Edgar DavidsonAccording to his first wife, who speaks in the documentary under condition of anonymity, Davidson talked about being involved in Sister Cathy's murder in 1969. 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. And this update involves Father Joseph Maskell. The call led Hoskins and Keough graduate, Abbie Schaub, to start their own research into Sister Cathy's murder. 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.. 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. The Maryland Attorney Generals office has been investigating sexual abuse in the catholic church for nearly four years. 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. 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. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. At this point, Im so disenchanted with my church its really disappointing. 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. [1] Her body was discovered on January 3, 1970, near a garbage dump in the Baltimore suburb of Lansdowne. They encourage everyone reading this to question everything, stay hydrated, and treat others with kindness. 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. 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. 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.". Tweet. She chose not to charge Maskell, saying the case lacked evidence. 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. This is huge news regarding Sister Cathy's case. Supposedly, according to White and Jean Wehner, the Archdiocese opened an investigation into A. Joseph Maskell, and so, those records should exist. "The Keepers" explores the murder of Sister Catherine Cesnik, who disappeared in November 1969 and whose body was discovered in January of 1970. He later returned to the U.S. and died in 2001. 2021 Updates on The 50-Year-Old Unsolved Murder Case of Sister Cathy Cesnik | by Rameen Zeeshan | Lessons from History | Medium 500 Apologies, but something went wrong on our end. 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. YOU'VE REACHED YOUR MONTHLY ARTICLE LIMIT. Shes so driven to find out what happened to her teacher. It just means that there's no link between Maskell and the crime scene. Throughout the series,the devastation experienced bysurvivors is laid bare,as is theirstrength in confronting unthinkable childhood horrors. So we didn't want to set that as our bar, Hargrave said. [13], Netflix produced a seven-part documentary series about the case called The Keepers, which debuted on May 19, 2017. This is presumed to be the source of the DNA sample found at the murder scene, but Ryan White knows theres even more that Baltimore County Police arent saying. Before that, Gemma spent 37 years as an elementary school teacher. She had a very soft spot in her heart for the School Sisters of Notre Dame, Radakovic says, but I think she felt she was called to do something other than live in the convent.. However, she didnt want to go on the record. 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. She was found dead two months later. But in interviews conducted before his death, he found these. It started with a freelance journalist, Tom Nugent. Maskell was a police chaplain and he knew people in high places that's how they got away with it. She suffered blunt force trauma to her head and the case remains open to this day. There, on the ground, still clad, her face covered with maggots, was the body of Sister Cathy. On occasion, they will attempt to combine all three, as there really isnt too much to life overall than fear, love, and laughter. And I looked at my husband and I said, Oh my God, Radakovic remembers now. My access point was a personal connection: My aunt went to Archbishop Keough High School and was Sister Cathys student, White told TheWrap. 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. It. Sister Cathy's body was undressed to the waist. And everything ends with, I want you to do your job. . 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. Its important to take this confession from Koob with a grain of salt, as he is proven in the show to be less than the most reliable of witnesses, but, as White says, I dont know where the truth lies.. The mysterious Brother Bob is, in many ways, even more chilling a figure than A. Joseph Maskell. This family evidence of anger problems, assaults on others, using a position of power over others to avoid punishment, and the assault on a young woman much like Sister Cathy all point towards a potential pre-existing rage in A. Joseph Maskell that nobody has ever explored. Catherine Anne Cesnik was born on November 17, 1942, in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 'There were a lot of layers that if you peeled them back went a lot deeper. The Huffington Post reported that Maskell told Wehner, "You see what happens when you say bad things about people?"[1]. Sister Cathy's battered body - she had been beaten over the head - was discovered . 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. What we do know is that the FBIs continuing failure to contribute meaningfully to this case has negatively impacted any chance at an ending to the story. Beverly WallaceThe attorney for "Jane Doe" and "Jane Roe" in the 1994 lawsuit against Maskell and the archdiocese. [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. He was a reporter for the Baltimore Sun and has written investigative reports for Mother Jones, the Chicago Tribune and the Washington Post. 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. But I can whole-heartedly say, Cathy has been very much a part of all this.. 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. Cesnik was born in 1942 and grew up to become a nun at the all-girls Archbishop Keough High School in Baltimore, where . Gerald KoobA close friend of Sister Cathys, who says his relationship with her was almost romantic. The church has denied the charges, but it has settled dozens of sexual abuse cases in the matter of Father Maskell. 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.. He had been a chaplain and counselor at Archbishop Keough while she taught there. 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. If you were part of the Facebookgroup, people got to know us very well. 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. The girl left but the next day, she later claimed, Maskell waved a gun at her, warning he'd kill her and her family if she revealed the abuse. It had to be somebody who knew her.'. (Handout photo courtesy of Netflix) Catherine Cesnik, a 26-year-old. She was just 26 at the time of her death. 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. Abbie SchaubAnother former student of Sister Cathys, Schaub and Hoskins combined forces to try to uncover what happened to Sister Cathy in 1969. It allowed for Cesnik's . People walked to suicide, people are still hiding and keeping their secrets, and I think all of the survivors recognize the power in numbers. Sister Helen Russell PhillipsSister Cathy's roommate in 1969 when she disappeared. Moreover, she said that along with the priest, she was abused by police officers. 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.