Investigating a Catholic priest presented challenges, especially in Baltimore a predominantly Catholic city (via Huffpost). A young, conspicuously attractive woman, 1 she connected with her students. Maskell was a police chaplain and he knew people in high places that's how they got away with it. The filmmakers said they were not trying to solve the murder of Sister Cathy, or the murder of Joyce Malecki, which is also featured in the series. Maybe that was why a homicide detective was told to drop the case in the 1970s, blocked from investigating because higher-ups were "protecting someone." Theres no question she told them she would do something about it.. [deleted] 6 yr. ago. 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. But, somehow, that evidence vanished, never making it to court. They revealed themselves in "The Keepers" thanks to documentary filmmakers Ryan White and Jessica Hargrave. 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. The Baltimore Sun reported in late 2016 that since 2011 the archdiocese has paid out settlements to Maskell's alleged victims. But that's where things get hazy. And why should they? RELATED: 10 Exciting New Netflix Originals Still Coming In 2019. The amount of people that have seen The Keepers now is mind-blowing around the world, White said. Like a scene out of a horror movie, the high school junior was driven to a garbage dump by the school's 30-year-old spiritual counselor, Father Joseph Maskell - who died in 2001 - and reportedly told the 16-year-old student: 'You see what happens when you say bad things about people?'. 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. Joseph Cesnik in 1930 Census; Census Place: Pittsburgh, Allegheny, Pennsylvania; 1930 United States Federal Census; National Archives and Records Administration. Either way, theyre lying and withholding information that would be helpful to the case. Something was clearly wrong, and so, according to the Baltimore Sun, Helen Russell Phillips called on the help of a few friends revs. An undated photo of Sister Cathy Cesnik, whose body was found at a dumping area Jan . Cesnik, a 26 . "The Keepers" premieres on Netflix May 19. by Caralynn Lippo. . Catherine Cesnik's disappearance scared a lot of people. As the next morning rolled around, Catherine Cesnik still hadn't returned to the apartment, and her roommate became very concerned. On January 3, 1970, the body of Catherine Cesnik was found by two hunters. RELATED:Everything Available At Launch On HBO Max. 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? Father Maskell was a counselor and chaplain at Archbishop Keough from 1967 to 1975. 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. Crime Museumadds that the car itself was newly caked in mud. Nicole Mello is an author of horrors, romances, and comedies. A 1994 story in the Baltimore Sun, revealed that she had information about Cesnik's murdered condition, such as the maggots on her face, known only to the cops. But some thirty women soon came forward with accounts of sexual abuse at the school. 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. Grace Elizabeth Montanye, 16, met a stranger at a shopping mall on Sept 29, 1971, northwest of Baltimore, according to police. The week prior, Sister Cathy Cesnik, a popular young nun who taught English and drama at Keough, had vanished while on a Friday-night shopping trip. Huffpost added that choke marks colored her neck, and a quarter-sized hole in the back of her skull pointed to her actual cause of death blunt force trauma, leading to a skull fracture and brain hemorrhaging. 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. Catherine Cesnik was born in 1942, she was a devoted catholic nun who taught drama and English at Archbishop Keough High School in Baltimore, Maryland. Rather, people actually trusted him a lot, reportsHuffpost. Hoskins did write about her theory on the killer in her book "Keeping On: How I came To Know Why I Was Born.. Her unsolved murder served as the basis for the Netflix documentary series The Keepers in 2017. "[9], Wehner said that Cesnik once came to her and said gently, "Are the priests hurting you?" ", court of Appeals of Maryland, No. I think it's pretty undeniable by the end of The Keepers that they are, and Jean is the nexus of that, White said. [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. 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. 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. True crime is only getting more popular, and Netflix never misses an opportunity to contribute to the zeitgeist, giving us The Keepers. They got in touch with the local police, reporting that Cesnik had gone missing. As time would tell, she had good reason to keep quiet. However, White did still get to talk to them he even got to talk to the anonymous student he mentions in the series. They scared the living hell out of us.'. The 26-year-old nun had been missing for nearly two months. 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. RELATED:Netflixs Tiger King: 15 Best Joe Exotic Quotes. Because of the condition of Cesnik's corpse, police were unable to tell if she had been sexually assaulted. 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. ', The comments below have not been moderated, By
2. 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. Instead, it made more sense if someone Catherine Cesnik already knew coerced her from the car. ', 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.'. All Rights Reserved. Joanne Suder, an attorney for many of Maskells sexual abuse victims, said, If law enforcement, in general, had done their job back in 1970, theyd have brought Maskell in then and this wouldnt have all been necessary in 2017., Theres no question that my clients told Sister Cathy (Cesnik) what was going on, Suder said. ', One former student, Teresa Lancaster, told WJZ-TV in Baltimore, that Sister Cathy had 'confronted' Maskell 'and she lost her life for it.'. But investigators found only a few inconsistencies in some statements, and detectives were unable to find any damning evidence against the priest. As for filmmakers Ryan White and Jessica Hargrave, after The Keepers they produced a documentary with Dr. Ruth, and then another one about the two women who assassinated North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's brother. 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. And the oldest was in her 20's.. 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. It just means that there's no link between Maskell and the crime scene. 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. Inside Baltimore sheds some light on the idea that Cesnik's murder wasn't a lone incident. Police have also looked into whether Cesniks death is related to the deaths of three other young women in the Baltimore area around the same time. And she has not stopped looking into the murder of her former teacher. 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. However, the material was never entered into evidence. An autopsy revealed a skull fracture caused by a blow to Sister Catherine's left temple by a blunt instrument. But that lead didn't go anywhere. Investigators didn't really buy that, thinking that he knew more than he let on, but the church forced them to stop searching. 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. 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. The autopsy reportedly found that the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head. On May 17, the Baltimore Sun reported that his DNA did not match a sample that was taken. 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. Source:https://www.spreaker.com/user/americancrimecast/sister-cathy-cesnik-part-5-if-i-told-i-wThis episode may not be appropriate for all listeners. [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. It would be two months later, on January 3, 1970, that a couple of hunters came upon Sister Cathy's decomposed, frozen and mutilated body, and notified police. Jean Wehner also added that, one day, Cesnik took her aside, just to ask if the priests were hurting her. The mysterious Brother Bob is, in many ways, even more chilling a figure than A. Joseph Maskell. 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 Keepers" premieres on Netflix May 19. 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. An autopsy soon revealed the victim was Sister Cathy Cesnik, a beloved 26-year-old nun who taught English and drama at Archbishop Keough High School and had vanished two months earlier during a Friday night shopping trip. Koob had an alibi for the night he'd been out at a movie with another priest and claimed not to know anything. Jan. 3, 1970, changed that. As documentary-maker Ryan White asserted: 'What we discovered during the filmmaking process is that everything wasn't as it appeared to be. Cesnik was 26 and on a sabbatical from the Roman Catholic Church. 15:36 EST 18 May 2017 ', They were told to 'stop harassing him,' he said. Feb 28, 2020. 1 of 40. Its possible Flaherty and Maskell had some deeper connection at the time that has simply been completely overlooked. Despite the time, speculation, and later surge of interest in the case, Catherine Cesnik's murder has still gone unsolved. An autopsy found Cesnik died from blunt force trauma to the head, according to police. She left for Baltimore at 18 to join the School Sisters of Notre Dame, eventually going on to teach at Archbishop Keough High School. They have another project scheduled to come out later this year. Sister Catherine Ann Cesnik was last seen alive on November 7, 1969. And when those kids got older, Maskell would give them rides home or to appointments. Meteorological records also reveal that temperatures during the week in question were warm enough for maggots to hatch. What the show doesnt touch on, however, is Koobs supposed relationship with Sister Cathy. ', He theorized that because there had been no signs of a struggle, 'it looked too clean. Father Neil Magnus Is A Possible Suspect On 'The Keepers'. 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 that argument didn't fly in the 90s. The service at the at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Pinehurst, North Carolina lasted 1 hour. Determining whether Maskells DNA matches the evidence remaining from the crime scene is a box that must be checked, said Armacost. Catherine Anne Cesnik was born on November 17, 1942, in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A little more digging brought with it the fact that neighbors had seen the car parked there since 10:30 p.m., though it had been in her assigned parking spot behind the building just two hours earlier (via Baltimore Sun). Netflix's documentary series "The Keepers" dives into the case and uncovers a web of abuse that may . She was found dead two months later. I always felt like there was some reason for me to be here and I didn't know what it was. Given that Catherine Cesnik actively fought against Joseph Maskell's abuse by standing up for the girls, as well as Maskell's propensity toward really terrible threats, it's easiest to assume that the motive for her murder laid somewhere in that area. 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.
- May 30, 2017 05:42 pm EDT. Discovery Company. She was "Jane Roe" in that ultimately unsuccessful lawsuit. In 1992, two female former students came forward to say Maskell abused them. Now, WJZ has learned Baltimore County Police may be closer than ever to solving the murder of 26-year-old Sister Cathy Cesnik. . 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. [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. (Aside from reports that Maskell invited uniformed officers to assault the girls). A few more branches were caught on the radio antenna, while another twig was found stuck to the turn signal lever on the steering wheel, a piece of yellow thread caught onto it. catherine cesnik autopsy photos. The green 1970 Maverick had been parked illegally near the apartment. As in, a three-year-old who remembers it. Despite the fact that Father Maskell's DNA does not match the DNA found at the crime scene, Armacost notes that the results don't necessarily clear him as a suspect. Advocates, filmmakers say they have not given up. Sister Cathy was a teacher at Archbishop Keough High School and went missing in Baltimore in 1969. More than 40 years after her death, the case of Sister Cathy Cesnik's murder is still unsolved.
Did you encounter any technical issues? 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.. The case remains open and unsolved. Feb 7, 2019 - Justice for Sister Cathy . And after almost 50 years, Sister Cathy's murder has remained unsolved. Stirred to action, the Police exhumed the remains of A. Joseph Maskell, the former priest accused of murdering Sister Cathy, and took a DNA sample to test against DNA found at the murder scene. Their work is featured prominently, in "The Keepers.. Father A. Joseph Maskell was a person of interest for a reason, it seemed. Father Maskell was a counselor and chaplain at Archbishop Keough from 1967 to 1975. Expand. 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. 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. Hoskins says at a minimum she wants to see records on Father Maskell. So it probably wasn't the result of some random act of violence. Cesnik attended St. Mary's School on 57th Street and St. Augustine High School, both in Lawrenceville. [1] Her body was discovered on January 3, 1970, near a garbage dump in the Baltimore suburb of Lansdowne. 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, Wesley Crusher Is Now A Big Star Trek Picard Season 3 Question, Last Of Us Episode 6's Joel Ending Change From Game Defended By Director, How I Met Your Mother Stars Hold Mini-Reunion In New Image. It probably was n't a lone incident the crime scene is a box that must checked... During the week in question were warm enough for maggots to hatch sense. I always felt like there was some reason for me to be Cesnik had gone missing is only getting popular... She has not stopped looking into the murder of her former teacher two.! Of people that have seen the Keepers '' premieres on Netflix May 19. by Caralynn Lippo by... With another priest and claimed not to know anything `` Are the were! 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