Father Maskell was a counselor and chaplain at Archbishop Keough from 1967 to 1975. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. On January 3, 1970, the body of Catherine Cesnik was found by two hunters. For us, our bar was more about bringing these womens experiences to light and starting this conversation.. Eluding police questioning, Maskell eventually ran off to Ireland in 1994 to work as a priest. Another article put out by the Baltimore Sun tried to paint a clearer image of the evening. In another scenario, James Maskell arrested a man named Phillip Shane after the two of them got into an altercation and Maskell lied about how they came to blows. And it was the students who really benefited from that, as Huffpost describes. I do believe in so many other things than I ever did before. In the 1990s, sexual assault and abuse allegations began to surface against Maskell, who had served as a chaplain at Archbishop Keough High School in Baltimore. 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. And this update involves Father 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. 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. But amidst the many . ', The comments below have not been moderated, By
But that charming faade was shattered in 1992. 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. With twigs and branches found in the car, police thought that they might have a pretty good lead, as the Baltimore Sun explained. One of the major theories that The Keepers hypothesizes is that Maskell either killed Sister Cathy or had her killed. '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. 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. 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. 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. 2023 Cable News Network. She still spends at least part of every day trying to find those people. They filed a $40 million civil lawsuit against him, the Baltimore Archdiocese, the sisters who ran the school, and a local gynecologist. But I do think that there are individuals who are still living who know exactly what happened, she said. RELATED:Everything Available At Launch On HBO Max. 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. A young, conspicuously attractive woman, 1 she connected with her students. On occasion, they will attempt to combine all three, as there really isnt too much to life overall than fear, love, and laughter. 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. Sister Catherine Ann Cesnik was 26 when she disappeared in 1969; her body was found weeks later. No one, not even fellow Keough graduates, knew that Jean Hargadon-Wehner was the so-called "Jane Doe" who came forward in the early 1990's and accused the Archdiocese of Baltimore of allowing the abuse to continue. Copyright 2022 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. "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. catherine cesnik autopsy photos. Even after Cesnik left her job at Keough and took a position at Western, she still gave the girls a safe space to talk. This photo was not uploaded . It continues to be one of several theories.. According to CNN, Bode Cellmark Forensics laboratory in Lorton, Virginia was responsible for comparing the DNA to the sample from the murder scene. Gerard Koob it depends on the report) found her car unlocked around 4:40 a.m. on the day after her disappearance. ', One former student, Teresa Lancaster, told WJZ-TV in Baltimore, that Sister Cathy had 'confronted' Maskell 'and she lost her life for it.'. 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). > Licensing inquiries: Email tim.thomas@baltsun.com. "The Keepers" premieres on Netflix May 19. 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. . But Maskell's case was complicated further by his ties to the police force through his work as a military chaplain. They have internal records on everyone including A. Joseph Maskell. They did stuff. Reunion on 'Blue Bloods', 'Sister Wives' Star Meri Brown Clarifies Her Sexuality After Split From Kody. At some point probably the first thing on her trip Cesnik stopped by a Catonsville bank and cashed a check for $255, part of a pretty regular routine. Much like the government, the Catholic Church has their own internal system for keeping track of the people who make up their organization. ", court of Appeals of Maryland, No. Netflix's documentary series "The Keepers" dives into the case and uncovers a web of abuse that may . 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. Advocates, filmmakers say they have not given up. 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. And she has not stopped looking into the murder of her former teacher. It seems that either the Archdiocese is lying about having investigated the accusations, or the Archdiocese is lying about having internal records on A. Joseph Maskell. 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. Details. 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. She was found dead two months later. 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 first clue in the disappearance was found pretty early her car ended up giving some insight into what happened but mostly brought more confusion. Discovery Company. 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. Each of their bodies was found in different law enforcement jurisdictions, delaying any connections from being made for many years, according to Armacost. Netflix's documentary series "The Keepers" dives into the case and uncovers a web of abuse that may . The green 1970 Maverick had been parked illegally near the apartment. They already knew the murderer, but looking further would unearth information he wasn't supposed to know. Without getting into a bunch of complicated legal jargon, victims of abuse would've had three years to come forward. 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. One of them, Jean Wehner, was the student who claimed Maskell had taken her to view Cesnik's body in the dump. The plaintiffs suits are thus barred by the statute of limitation. 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. He'd mostly target students who were struggling, either academically or at home, calling them in for "therapy," where he used his charms to manipulate them into believing he knew what was best for them. No matter how wrong it seems, it's happened too many times, and the case of Sister Catherine Cesnik is one of those examples. Her life had been threatened and she had allegedly been abused by the priest. Joseph Maskell knew that the victims of his abuse would want to talk (and that they were talking to Catherine Cesnik, at least), so he had to shut that down with violent threats. [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. 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. Authorities said results will take up to six more weeks. Their work is featured prominently, in "The Keepers.. Either she or Phillips would always make to stop on every second Friday to cash their paychecks. The Baltimore Sun reported in late 2016 that since 2011 the archdiocese has paid out settlements to Maskell's alleged victims. They were always invited to come to her apartment, where she checked in on the situation regarding Maskell. Detective Nick Giangrasso still thought it was someone tied to the church, though, and began to look into Father A. Joseph Maskell. 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. Cesnik was 26 and on a sabbatical from the Roman Catholic Church. [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. The student let herself out right away but could tell that Maskell knew what was happening. After the complaints were made to the archdiocese, Maskell was temporarily removed from his post at the school for psychological evaluation. A headline in a Baltimore newspaper blared: 'City Police Fail To Find Missing Nun.'. He was permanently removed from the ministry in 1994. [13], Netflix produced a seven-part documentary series about the case called The Keepers, which debuted on May 19, 2017. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. The series also renewed the investigations into the murders of two women, Sister Cathy Cesnik and Joyce Malecki. It came with the threat that he would tell her father that she'd been "whoring around," and that those consequences would be far worse. One of the friends Helen Phillips had called upon, Koob had been dating Catherine Cesnik at the time. ", Up Next: Netflix Hidden Gems For Sci-Fi And Fantasy Lovers. On February 28, police opened the grave of Rev. 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. Ultimately, Maskell died in 2001, having never been charged for a thing. Another woman, Teresa Lancaster, also came forward. Savvy internet sleuths have found evidence that James Maskell, a former patrolman, got a woman named Sarah Nell sentenced to a year in prison for biting him while he attempted to assault her. According to the autopsy, she had been struck on the back of her head by either a hammer or a brick, there was a hole the size of a quarter in her skull , and there were strangulation marks on her neck. Teresa Lancaster also mentioned times when he would take them to a gynecologist Dr. Christian Richter for check-ups, during which he would occasionally assault them on the table (Richter would later deny being a part of the abuse). The sisters were incredibly close, even after Cesnik felt that God had called out to her to become a nun. 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. 15:36 EST 18 May 2017 Soon they were linking that abuse to Sister Cathy's murder, and speculation that she was going to blow the whistle and tell all. A. Joseph Maskell after securing an order from the states attorney, according to Elise Armacost, director of public affairs for Baltimore County Police. 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. May 19 featured prominently, in `` the Keepers hypothesizes is that Maskell either killed Sister Cathy had! ], Netflix produced a seven-part documentary series about the case called the Keepers Inc. All rights.. 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