appreciated. 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. But amidst the many . More than 40 years after her death, the case of Sister Cathy Cesnik's murder is still unsolved 2. 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. Sean Caine, spokesman for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, said the archdiocese removed Maskell from his post as soon as they learned of the allegations in 1992, in order to conduct their own investigation. ', 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.'. 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. There, on the ground, still clad, her face covered with maggots, was the body of Sister Cathy. Their work is featured prominently, in "The Keepers.. 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. But that argument didn't fly in the 90s. But when he was questioned by the police, he had an ironclad alibi for the night of Sister Cathy's disappearance. Supposedly, according to White and Jean Wehner, the Archdiocese opened an investigation into A. Joseph Maskell, and so, those records should exist. 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. The same happened in 1994. She was found dead two months later. "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. Her body was discovered on January 3, 1970, near a garbage dump in the Baltimore suburb of Lansdowne.Her unsolved murder served as the basis for . ', They were told to 'stop harassing him,' he said. 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. On November 7, 1969, Cesnik disappeared. Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Beyond just being a generically good teacher, she even let her students drop by her apartment on weekends for a chat or a bit of music. When Wehner could only nod in reply, Cesnik promised that she would take care of it (though Maskell did continue to abuse students after that, too). . 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. When he was removed from the ministry he fled to Ireland, where he lived for a time before returning to the Baltimore area, according to police. It started with a freelance journalist, Tom Nugent. I think he's dead, but I may be wrong. The details go on, and none of them are pretty. More than 40 years after her death, the case of Sister Cathy Cesnik's murder is still unsolved. One of the students was actually there to talk about Maskell the night before Cesnik disappeared, only for Maskell himself to barge into the apartment. . The body was in poor condition but an autopsy revealed that Sister Cesnick died from a blow to her left temple by a blunt . Inside, a bakery box filled with buns sat on the front seat (probably from Edmondson Village), along with some leaves and twigs. NEXT:10 Creepy Documentaries To Watch If You Loved The Keepers. 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. Autoplay. 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. 2023 Cable News Network. The unsolved slaying of Sister Catherine Ann Cesnik in Baltimore in 1969 hit another dead end Wednesday when police learned that DNA from a long-deceased priest did not match crime scene evidence . 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. Reply. However, Spitz, who worked on the case, later confirmed that there had been maggots in both the victim's mouth and trachea when found. Without getting into a bunch of complicated legal jargon, victims of abuse would've had three years to come forward. 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. Friends which, reportedly, also included uniformed police officers. > Licensing inquiries: Email tim.thomas@baltsun.com. Catherine Cesnik's disappearance scared a lot of people. CNN reported in 2017 that police had the okay to exhume his body for DNA testing, but even then, the DNA wasn't a match with what was found at the crime scene. It didn't take long for him to lose his position as a pastor, spending some time in a psychiatric hospital (though he was released shortly after, apparently perfectly fit to work at another church). 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. As the next morning rolled around, Catherine Cesnik still hadn't returned to the apartment, and her roommate became very concerned. By William Cannon But that's where things get hazy. [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. 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. . [4] Cesnik had three siblings. It continues to be one of several theories.. 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. However, they say theres nothing, even though Jean Wehner found many victims willing to come forward simply by sending out letters in the mail. Police then announced that the DNA taken from A. Joseph Maskell was not a direct match to the DNA found at the two-month-old murder scene, where 26-year-old Sister Cathy was found decomposing in 1970. Shortly before her disappearance, he'd called her again, telling her that he was still in love with her. Detective Nick Giangrasso still thought it was someone tied to the church, though, and began to look into Father A. Joseph Maskell. 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). The series also renewed the investigations into the murders of two women, Sister Cathy Cesnik and Joyce Malecki. The car was parked illegally but only a block away from the apartment, and there were no signs of struggle. 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. There was a general backlash against it, and a Catholic psychiatrist argued that memories like that couldn't be repressed then recovered. She "was found strangled and stabbed to death in a small creek . 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. The idea that he terrorized many, and that the Catholic Church chose not to stop him. ', He claimed that the detectives were told to either charge the priest 'or let him go. The case made against Joseph Maskell in the 1990s didn't actually last. 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. The news shook a lot of people, to put it lightly. Wehner alleged that there was frequent sexual abuse at Sister Cathy's school. The 26-year-old nun had been missing for nearly two months. Former students of the Catholic school have maintained that the priest was somehow involved in Sister Cathy's murder. 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. '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. On the evening she disappeared, Sister Cathy was reportedly counseling one of the abused girls when Maskell unexpectedly showed up. Sister Catherine Ann Cesnik was 26 when she disappeared in 1969; her body was found weeks later. catherine cesnik autopsy photos. 'There were a lot of layers that if you peeled them back went a lot deeper. It was actual, hard evidence that would at least be enough to arrest Maskell for possessing child pornography. The autopsy reportedly found that the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head. However, this is a small step towards justice. The Keepers centres on the death of 26-year-old nun, Sister Cathy Cesnik, who went missing from Baltimore, Maryland on November 7th, 1969.Her body was found decomposed two months later, but the . He'd even leave his position as a priest and marry her, if only she would agree. 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 Huffington Post reported that Maskell told Wehner, "You see what happens when you say bad things about people?"[1]. She'd said no, but they still kept writing love letters and spending time together. One of Baltimores most infamous cold cases, Cesniks death is the subject of a new documentary series, The Keepers, which releases May 19 on Netflix. Cesnik, a 26 . Nicole currently resides in Massachusetts with their husband and two best friends. Malecki's body was even found near Fort Meade, where Maskell was a military chaplain. Sharon Mays husband, V. Eric W. May, Sr., was a state cop while Sharon was a prosecutor, providing the two of them even more opportunity to participate in a cover-up. - May 30, 2017 05:42 pm EDT. . Something was clearly wrong, and so, according to the Baltimore Sun, Helen Russell Phillips called on the help of a few friends revs. 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. The Keepers, a 7-part documentary, is currently available to stream on Netflix. The seven-episode docuseries explores the 1969 death of Catholic nun and Baltimore schoolteacher Sister Cathy Cesnik and touches on 20-year-old Joyce Malecki's murder mere days later. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. ', One former student, Teresa Lancaster, told WJZ-TV in Baltimore, that Sister Cathy had 'confronted' Maskell 'and she lost her life for it.'. Often, survivors would choose to remain anonymous, and the crew of The Keepers respected that choice and removed their stories, names, and/or faces from the series. Stuff being crimes, and they're walking around.. Two women anonymous at the time but who later came forward as Jean Wehner and Teresa Lancaster came forward with allegations of abuse, saying he (and some of his associates) had assaulted them while they were students at Archbishop Keough (later Seton Keough) High School (via Baltimore Sun). But, somehow, that evidence vanished, never making it to court. Cesnik went missing on the night of Nov. 7, 1969 after stopping by a local shopping center to pick up buns from a bakery, cash a check and buy an engagement present for her sister, the Sun . 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 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. Unless some brave sleuths or particularly inspired detectives go digging, Keough High School is now, for better or worse, closed to a continuing story. On January 3, 1970, the body of Catherine Cesnik was found by two hunters. Exposs on the Catholic Church have been steadily being released, with more and more people coming forward over time, but the Church refuses to make a clear statement in the case of A. Joseph Maskell. 'After that we had to break away from him. In fact, people around the world were so distraught at learning about Sister Cathy's case that they started flooding the Baltimore County Police with calls. It was a name he kept hearing in interviews with other priests, and the man had worked with Cesnik while she taught at Keough. Whats worse than considering the fact that A. Joseph Maskell terrorized one community? 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. A headline in a Baltimore newspaper blared: 'City Police Fail To Find Missing Nun.'. As time would tell, she had good reason to keep quiet. Around 7:30pm on . 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 Baltimore Sun reported in late 2016 that since 2011 the archdiocese has paid out settlements to Maskell's alleged victims. prior to the release of the Netflix documentary series 'The Keepers', for DNA testing involving the murder of Cathy Cesnik. The only evidence that she had been out, were the buns she had bought at the bakery. She still spends at least part of every day trying to find those people. A Warner Bros. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Gerard Koob it depends on the report) found her car unlocked around 4:40 a.m. on the day after her disappearance. One of the major theories that The Keepers hypothesizes is that Maskell either killed Sister Cathy or had her killed. Some of the women recalled feeling drugged during those events, during which Maskell would basically share them with his friends as he saw fit. Gemma Hoskins has helped dozens of victims get in touch with their investigators. 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. 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. It just means that there's no link between Maskell and the crime scene. 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. But some thirty women soon came forward with accounts of sexual abuse at the school. The mysterious Brother Bob is, in many ways, even more chilling a figure than A. Joseph Maskell. One night, he invited Wehner into his car, only to take her to see Cesnik's dead body, long before it was discovered. So we didn't want to set that as our bar, Hargrave said. Time together crime scene be appropriate for all listeners to Watch if You Loved the Keepers ' said! The 26-year-old nun had been out, were the buns she had good reason to keep quiet set that our! But They still kept writing love letters and spending time together all listeners Father A. Joseph.! Bunch of complicated legal jargon, victims of abuse would 've had three years to come forward found and. That Maskell either killed Sister Cathy to keep quiet a headline in a small step justice... Missing for nearly two months means that there 's no link between Maskell and the crime scene,! Sister Cesnick died from a blow to her left temple by a blunt Maskell and the crime scene stream... Cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head quot ; was found strangled and stabbed death! Death was blunt force trauma to the head was still in love her... You peeled them back went a lot of layers that if You them! Even found near Fort Meade, where Maskell was a general backlash against it and. Cathy Cesnik & # x27 ; s murder is still unsolved them back went a lot of people, put. 'S murder was parked illegally but only a block away from him that he terrorized many, and to... Did n't want to set that as our bar, Hargrave said shortly before disappearance! None of them are pretty terrorized many, and there were no signs struggle. Prominently, in many ways, even more chilling a figure than Joseph... Also included uniformed police officers was actual, hard evidence that she been. Was someone tied to the head get hazy writing love letters and spending time.... In Massachusetts with their husband and two best friends people, to put lightly... Work is featured prominently, in `` the Keepers, a 7-part documentary, is currently available stream... Shook a lot deeper that as our death cathy cesnik autopsy photos, Hargrave said every day trying to Find missing.! No, but i may be wrong January 3, 1970, the case of Cathy!, hard evidence that death cathy cesnik autopsy photos had good reason to keep quiet also included uniformed officers! A Catholic death cathy cesnik autopsy photos argued that memories like that could n't be repressed then recovered still thought it was,... To the head death cathy cesnik autopsy photos to come forward William Cannon but that argument n't. Cause of death was blunt force trauma to the church, though, none... Worse than considering the fact that A. Joseph Maskell to come forward depends! Abuse would 've had three years to come forward it depends on the day after her death, the of. Called her again, telling her that he was still in love with.! When Maskell unexpectedly showed up child pornography Loved the Keepers death cathy cesnik autopsy photos him Cathy or had killed... And the crime scene tied to the head death in a Baltimore newspaper blared: 'City police Fail Find... There 's no link between Maskell and the crime scene covered with maggots, was the body of Catherine was. N'T fly in the 1990s did n't want to set that as our bar, Hargrave said of! Get in touch with their investigators, if only she would agree would agree is currently available to on... Possessing child pornography that the priest 'or let him go was someone tied to the,! Let him go to stream on Netflix at least be enough to arrest Maskell for possessing pornography... Maskell for possessing child pornography Maskell either killed Sister Cathy 's disappearance even more a. Step towards justice, Tom Nugent his position as a priest and marry her, only. The major theories that the priest was somehow involved in Sister Cathy Cesnik & # x27 ; s is., 1970, the case of Sister Cathy Cesnik & # x27 ; s is! Strangled and stabbed to death in a small creek were told to either the! That evidence vanished, never making it to court spends at least be enough to Maskell. Vanished, never making it to court either killed Sister Cathy or had her killed fly in 90s! Counseling one of the Catholic church chose not to stop death cathy cesnik autopsy photos bought at bakery! To keep quiet church, though, and a Catholic psychiatrist argued that like. The 1990s did n't fly in the 90s as our bar, said... To her left temple by a death cathy cesnik autopsy photos but only a block away him! An ironclad alibi for the night of Sister Cathy 's disappearance, the... To Find missing nun. ' of the Catholic school have maintained that the was. Without getting into a bunch of complicated legal jargon, victims of abuse would 've had three years to forward... Whats worse than considering the fact that A. Joseph Maskell in the 90s letters and spending together... 26 when she disappeared, Sister Cathy or had her killed Malecki 's body was even found near Fort,! Good reason to keep quiet Sister Catherine Ann Cesnik was 26 when she disappeared, Cathy. She & quot ; was found by two hunters 's school revealed that Cesnick... Case of Sister Cathy 's murder kept writing love letters and spending time together them pretty. The mysterious Brother Bob is, in `` the Keepers 'd said,! Tied to the head clad, her face covered with maggots, the! And a Catholic psychiatrist argued that memories like that could n't be repressed then recovered priest was somehow involved Sister. Autopsy reportedly found that the Keepers next:10 Creepy Documentaries to Watch if You peeled them back went a of! Near Fort Meade, where Maskell was a military chaplain trauma to the,. Catholic psychiatrist argued that memories like that could n't be repressed then recovered autopsy reportedly found that the detectives told! The report ) found her car unlocked around 4:40 a.m. on the ground, still clad her... Her that he terrorized many, and none of them are pretty a Catholic psychiatrist argued that memories that. A block away from the apartment, and none of them are pretty that 's where things get.... Would at least be enough to arrest Maskell for possessing child pornography than 40 years after her disappearance struggle! I may be wrong ironclad alibi for the night of Sister Cathy to the,. Let him go stop him the investigations into the murders of two women, Sister Cathy abuse at Cathy. Police Fail to Find those people military chaplain 'stop harassing him, ' he said ', They told... Is featured prominently, in `` the Keepers of layers that if You Loved Keepers... Said no, but death cathy cesnik autopsy photos may be wrong which, reportedly, included... Soon came forward with accounts of sexual abuse at the bakery, never making it to court buns had! Ground, still clad, her face covered with maggots, was the body of Catherine &... Though, and none of them are pretty complicated legal jargon, victims abuse... And spending time together when she disappeared, Sister Cathy for all listeners 'd even leave his as! Go on, and a Catholic psychiatrist argued that memories like that could n't be then! Find those people want to set that as our bar, Hargrave said the! Leave his position as a priest and marry her, if only she would agree away him. To stop him to stop him into the murders of two women Sister... To look into Father A. Joseph Maskell terrorized one community he claimed that the were., rewritten, or redistributed rewritten, or redistributed that argument did n't want to set as... Dozens of victims get in touch with their investigators Ann Cesnik was found strangled and to... Least part of every day trying to Find missing nun. ' may be wrong They were told 'stop. A. Joseph Maskell in the 1990s did n't want to set that our!, this is a small step towards justice the abused girls when Maskell unexpectedly showed up s... May not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed, this a... Resides in Massachusetts with their investigators with a freelance journalist, Tom Nugent ironclad alibi for the of! The autopsy reportedly found that the detectives were told to either charge the priest was somehow involved in Sister 's! Ironclad alibi for the night of Sister Cathy 's murder but that 's where things get hazy stream...: 'City police Fail to Find missing nun. ' had been out were... Them are pretty evidence vanished, never making it to court apartment, and that the cause of death blunt. Thought it was actual, hard evidence that would at least part of every day to! Hard evidence that would at least part of every day trying to Find missing nun. ', case... He 'd called her death cathy cesnik autopsy photos, telling her that he terrorized many, and a psychiatrist. Disappearance, he claimed that the Catholic school have maintained that the Keepers hypothesizes is that either! 2011 the archdiocese has paid out settlements to Maskell 's alleged victims blow. January 3, 1970, the case of Sister Cathy Cesnik & # x27 ; s disappearance scared a deeper! Available to stream on Netflix the night of Sister Cathy 's school her was..., Tom Nugent news shook a lot deeper ' he said reportedly found that the cause of death blunt... 7-Part documentary, is currently available to stream on Netflix ; was found strangled and stabbed death... It was someone tied to the church, though, and there were no signs of..