She was very, very, very important to me.. More than 40 years after her death, the case of Sister Cathy Cesnik's murder is still unsolved. 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. Unfortunately, Russell is . On January 3, 1970, the decomposed body of Sister Catherine Ann Cesnik was discovered at a dumping area on Monumental Avenue in Halethorpe, 21227. accessed ), memorial page for Sr Catherine Anne "Cathy" Cesnik (17 Nov . ', The cop, who died in 2009, said it was a shame because he was certain the priest 'knew more than he was telling. While the case remains open, allegations of sexual abuse by Father Maskell, and Sister's Cathy's plan to blow the whistle along with a possible cover up by the Catholic Church with close ties to law enforcement are at the heart of the horrendous case. The discovery of Cesniks dead body rocked the family. I think that the impact of The Keepers has far exceeded our expectations, Hargrave said. Her unsolved murder served as the basis for the Netflix documentary series The Keepers in 2017. But a Facebook message ultimately connected them, and Radakovic features prominently in the later episodes. In spite of the Freedom of Information Act, the federal government has continuously neglected to provide Gemma Hoskins with this information. "[9], Wehner said that Cesnik once came to her and said gently, "Are the priests hurting you?" Though, of course, they insist theyre doing everything they can to help victims of abuse, on the subject of Maskell, they remain as vague and unhelpful as ever. And although the seven-episode seriesexplores through its lead investigators Gemma Hoskins and Abbie Schaub three main suspects, including Father Maskell, who diedin 2001, White does havehis own theory on who abducted and murdered the nun. 'There were a lot of layers that if you peeled them back went a lot deeper. A Pittsburgh native, Cesnik headed to Baltimore at 18 to join the School Sister of Notre Dame, a religious order whose nuns had taught her in grade school. 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. Soon they were linking that abuse to Sister Cathy's murder, and speculation that she was going to blow the whistle and tell all. She didnt know Jeanhad gone through that abuse. Cesnik was found on a freezing January day in 1970 in Baltimore County, nearly two months after she vanished near her apartment. A few years ago my auntconnected me to Jean, her friend. What do you think happened to Sister Cathy? We shared a room until she went into the convent. That means Father Maskell was somehow involved. He was never charged with Sister Cathys murder. ", court of Appeals of Maryland, No. Were not going to let this go, Hoskins said. 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Her body was found a few months later, discarded unceremoniously in a garbage dump. Her cousin was soon to be married and Sister Cathy wanted to shop for an engagement gift, she told her roommate, Sister Helen Phillips, with whom she shared a small garden apartment in Southwest Baltimore, a blue-collar area of the city. 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. 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. It just means that there's no link between Maskell and the crime scene. 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. Charles FranzIn "The Keepers," Charles Franz came forward as one of Maskell's abuse victims in the 1960s. Does he ever reveal them? The documentary investigates whether Maskell had. After Maskell died in 2001, the two women decided to go public, using their real names. ', 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.'. '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. Authorities said results will take up to six more weeks. 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. 'The Keepers': What's Behind the Name of the Netflix Documentary Series? 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. Whats worse than considering the fact that A. Joseph Maskell terrorized one community? Still wondering what happened to Baltimore's Sister Cathy? 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. It remained shrouded in mystery until those close to Sister Cathy started sharing their experiences and theories last year, They were told to 'stop harassing him,' he said. In the ensuing years, the sisters stayed in touch via letters and phone calls. They did stuff. She said Maskell knew people in high places and would allegedly 'allow girls at the school to talk about sex and drugs in his office'. I was so drawn to Gemma right when I met her, she had such a unique way. Sister Cathy Cesnik's disappearance and murder remain an unsolved mystery. 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. 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.. If the Archdiocese is willing to blatantly lie about this, what else are they lying about? The spot was not easily accessible to a casual passerby. Those who knew her at the time said that she wouldn't allow any conversation about Cesnik's death, saying that was her life before, and that she now had a new life. Teresa Lancaster (Jane Roe)The second plaintiff in the 1994 lawsuit against Maskell, Lancaster was known in the case as Jane Roe. After the failed lawsuit, she went to law school and became a lawyer, working with Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests, or SNAP. 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.. Nicole currently resides in Massachusetts with their husband and two best friends. When she first went in [to the convent], they had visitation days and my parents and I always went down for the visitation days, we never missed them, Radakovic says. Hoskins and Schaub looked into each of those tips, and the tips have kept coming in for the past five years. Joseph Cesnik in 1930 Census; Census Place: Pittsburgh, Allegheny, Pennsylvania; 1930 United States Federal Census; National Archives and Records Administration. Did you face any hurdles? Abbie SchaubAnother former student of Sister Cathys, Schaub and Hoskins combined forces to try to uncover what happened to Sister Cathy in 1969. 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.. She also talked about what happened after Sister Cathy found out about it. Either way, theyre lying and withholding information that would be helpful to the case. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. The Keepers will premiere on Netflix on May 19. [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. He claims he interviewed more than 100 girls in the case who knew of or were involved in sexual abuse. RELATED:Everything Available At Launch On HBO Max. Netflix's documentary series "The Keepers" dives into the case and uncovers a web of abuse that may . The biggest hurdle was that the case was so old, that it was 45 years old. Fans of The Keepers may be surprised to hear that Keough High School, where Sister Cathy and A. Joseph Maskell both taught, closed in July of 2017, following confirmation from the Archdiocese of Baltimore that they paid settlements out to students who had been sexually abused by Maskell. By William Cannon He first reported on Sister Cathy's story because of Wehner's accusation that Maskell was involved in her murder. The more peoplewatch it, the more information will come out of the woodwork. On November 7, 1969, 26-year-old Sister Catherine Cesnik vanished. RELATED:Netflixs Tiger King: 15 Best Joe Exotic Quotes. Also Read: 'The Keepers' Filmmaker: Father Maskell Abused 40 Victims, Not Just the 6 in Netflix's Doc. They encourage everyone reading this to question everything, stay hydrated, and treat others with kindness. The Keepers centres on the death of 26-year-old nun, Sister Cathy Cesnik, who went missing from Baltimore, Maryland on November 7th, 1969. ", Up Next: Netflix Hidden Gems For Sci-Fi And Fantasy Lovers. 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.. 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She was found dead two months later. [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. Do not sell or share my personal information. 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. But its not about popularity, its about the impact My hope is that we can have a fraction of that popularitythat leads to justice. Well, its funny how you asked that because I never saw it as taking on the Catholic Church. And as long as youre alive, Cathy will be alive and dont ever forget that.. At this point, Im so disenchanted with my church its really disappointing.