'The Keepers' Filmmaker Ryan White: Father Maskell Had 40 Victims

(Spoiler alert: Do not read on if you don’t want to know what happens in “The Keepers”)

The Netflix docuseries “The Keepers” includes accounts from six people who say Father Joseph Maskell sexually assaulted them decades ago — but filmmaker Ryan White says Maskell had many more victims, at least 40 in all.

“The Keepers” explores the murder of Sister Catherine Cesnik, who disappeared in November 1969 and whose body was discovered in January of 1970. The documentary investigates whether Maskell had Sister Cathy killed because she was about to expose him and others for sexual abusing teenage students at Archbishop Keough High School.

“There are six survivors showcased in the documentary but we had many conversations with other survivors who weren’t featured in the documentary,” White told TheWrap. “Our focus was definitely on the survivors of Keough High School, but many Maskell victims came after Keough, and it’s horrifying. We weren’t actively looking at what he was doing after Keough but obviously, Charles played a narrative in the abuse.”

Also Read: 'The Keepers': What's Behind the Name of the Netflix Documentary Series?

“I would say there were at least 40 survivors… and most of them are no longer alive,” he said.

White said the film’s researchers located and talked to about 25 of the 40 abuse survivors.

The Archdiocese of Baltimore did not respond to requests for comment, and Maskell and his attorney in a 1995 sexual assault case have died. But the Archdiocese released a statement on Wednesday, saying in part that the Church has “provided counseling assistance and direct financial assistance to victims of Maskell” as well as offering “personal meetings and apologies to any survivor who has come forward.”

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“Suggestions of a cover-up by the archdiocese are speculative and false,” said the statement. (You can read it in its entirety below.)

At the time of Cesnik’s death, she was a 26-year-old drama and English teacher at the school and Maskell was its 30-year-old chaplain.

Jean Wehner and Teresa Lancaster, both of whom appear in the docu-series, filed charges against Maskell in 1994 as anonymous Jane Doe and Jane Roe. The case was eventually thrown out on a technicality in 1995, and Maskell denied all the allegations up until his death in 2001.

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Earlier this week, CNN reported that a DNA sample taken from the exhumed remains of Maskell did not match the DNA from the murder scene of Cesnik. Police opened Maskell’s grave on Feb. 28.

“The Keepers” is now streaming on Netflix.

Here is the Archbishop’s statement:

Dear Friends in Christ,

I write to call your attention to an upcoming online docu-series released by Netflix May 19 concerning the unsolved murder in 1969 of Sister Catherine Cesnik, a nun and former teacher at the former Archbishop Keough High School in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. The series will also reportedly focus on the question of whether Sr. Cesnik’s murder involved Joseph Maskell, a priest of the Archdiocese who was accused of sexually abusing numerous students while serving as chaplain at Archbishop Keough. Some believe that Sr. Cesnik may have been murdered because she was aware of the abuse and was going to report it to authorities. I write today to provide you with some facts and background information that may or may not be included in the documentary.

First, it is important to remember that prevention of child abuse and pastoral outreach to those affected are the cornerstones of the Archdiocese’s actions and policies. We encourage anyone with information about child sexual abuse to contact appropriate authorities.

The Archdiocese is committed to promoting healing for survivors of sexual abuse. As a pastoral measure, the Church has provided counseling assistance and direct financial assistance to victims of Maskell. In addition, the Archdiocese has offered personal meetings and apologies to any survivor who has come forward and continues to be in communication with survivors to discuss ways of promoting their healing and an understanding of the effects of their abuse. Their abuse was horribly tragic and the Archdiocese remains deeply saddened and regretful that someone representing the Church could have perpetrated such crimes against children. The Archdiocese has also reached out to the family of Sister Cathy to offer support.

The tragic events discussed in this docu-series have been the subject of both Archdiocesan disclosures and numerous local and national news stories. The Archdiocesan website has links to some of those previous articles and statements going back to 1969 that provide more detail about these events. The Netflix series is the latest to deal with them.

The Archdiocese first became aware of an allegation of abuse by Maskell in 1992, more than 20 years after the abuse occurred. At that time, the adult survivor and her attorney were encouraged to report the matter to civil authorities and Maskell was removed from ministry and referred for evaluation and treatment. He denied the allegation, underwent months of evaluation and treatment, and was returned to ministry in 1993 after the Archdiocese was unable to corroborate the allegation of sexual abuse after its own investigation and conversations with attorneys representing the individual who initially came forward.

When subsequent individuals came forward to accuse Maskell in 1994 he was permanently prohibited from public ministry. The Archdiocese made additional reports and has cooperated with authorities subsequent to that time. Further, the Archdiocese held a public meeting at St. Augustine Parish in Elkridge, where Maskell was serving at the time of his removal from ministry, attended by more than 100 people and covered by the media, regarding the allegations against Maskell. The allegations were once again made public, along with his assignments, during the Archdiocese’s 2002 disclosure of all known clergymen who had been credibly accused of sexual abusing a child. Maskell died in 2001. The Archdiocese’s Independent Child Abuse Review Board, now chaired by (ret.) Judge Joseph Murphy, has repeatedly reviewed the Archdiocese’s response to the allegations involving Maskell since the initial allegation was made.

Regarding the tragic murder of Sister Cathy, the Archdiocese offered a reward in 1994 for anyone with information leading to the conviction of her killer. The first suggestion to the Archdiocese of Baltimore that Maskell might have been involved in Sister Cathy’s death was made in 1994. Both the police and the media interviewed Maskell in 1994 regarding the nun’s death and the allegations of sexual abuse. The Archdiocese has no record of Sister Cathy contacting the Archdiocese about Maskell. No criminal charges were ever filed in connection with Sister Cathy’s death or the allegations of abuse.

I pray this information is helpful to you. Additional information, including a set of frequently asked questions, is available here on the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s website. The website contains Archdiocesan policies and other information about the Church’s critically important efforts to protect children through screening, training, education, reporting and cooperation with civil authorities, investigation, zero-tolerance, pastoral outreach, and oversight.

Please join me in praying for those impacted by the events discussed in this production, for victims of sexual abuse, and for our Church and its efforts to protect children and to bring healing and comfort to survivors.

Sincerely,

Most Reverend William E. Lori
Archbishop of Baltimore

'The Keepers': All the Major Players in Netflix's True Crime Documentary Series (Photos)

More than 40 years after her death, the case of Sister Cathy Cesnik's murder is still unsolved. Netflix's documentary series "The Keepers" dives into the case and uncovers a web of abuse that may be the source of a cover up and the murder. Here's our quick guide to all the people in "The Keepers" you need to know.
Netflix
Sister Catherine Cesnik
A nun and teacher at Archbishop Keough High School in 1968, Sister Cathy was murdered in Nov. 1969, although her body wasn’t discovered until Jan. 3, 1970. She suffered blunt force trauma to her head and the case remains open to this day. Information in “The Keepers” suggests Sister Cathy might have been killed because she found out that priests at Keough were sexually abusing students.
Netflix
Joyce Malecki
The 20-year-old Baltimore woman went missing on Nov. 11, 1969. Her body was found in a wooded area two days later. Her case is similar to Sister Cathy’s — both women disappeared from the same area in the city, both were found in isolated areas not far from one another, both died around the same time in November, and both had marks on their necks that indicated choking. Some suspect the same person killed both women, but authorities have never been able to find a link in their cases.
Netflix
Father A. Joseph Maskell
An administrator, psychologist and counselor at Keough when Sister Cathy was a teacher there, Maskell has been accused by dozens of students and other children of sexual abuse. In 1994, two victims, known then as Jane Doe and Jane Roe, attempted to sue the Catholic Church and Maskell for alleged abuse, but the case was thrown out because of Maryland’s statute of limitations. Maskell was never tried or convicted of any crimes, and he died in 2001.
Netflix
Father Neil Magnus
Another of the administrators at Keough, Magnus was accused of participating in sexually abusing students along with Maskell. Magnus died in 1988 and was never charged with any crimes.
Netflix
“Brother Bob”
A third abuser who "Jane Doe" remembers from her days at Keough, but whose face she cannot recall. The identity of Brother Bob remains a mystery, although some in “The Keepers” believe he might be the missing link in the case of who killed Sister Cathy.
Netflix
Jean Hargadon Wehner (“Jane Doe”)
The first former student to accuse Father Maskell of sex abuse, she appeared in the 1994 lawsuit as “Jane Doe.” Wehner said she waited to come forward because she had repressed her memories of the abuse and only recalled them later. She also thinks Sister Cathy was murdered because she knew about Maskell’s abuse and was going to come forward. She said that Maskell showed her Sister Cathy’s body.
Netflix
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. She was part of the Keough class of 1972.
Netflix
Gemma Hoskins
A 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 nun’s murder. Before that, Gemma spent 37 years as an elementary school teacher.
Netflix
Abbie Schaub
Another former student of Sister Cathy’s, Schaub and Hoskins combined forces to try to uncover what happened to Sister Cathy in 1969. Schaub was previously a nurse. Together, she and Hoskins started the “Justice for Catherine Cesnik and Joyce Malecki” Facebook page in 2013 to try to solve the case, which has become a network of Keough alumni and abuse survivors.
Netflix
Marilyn Cesnik Radakovic
Sister Cathy's younger sister, who joins the investigation with Hoskins and Schaub during "The Keepers."
Netflix
Gerald Koob
A close friend of Sister Cathy’s, who says his relationship with her was almost romantic. Koob was a Jesuit priest at the time of Sister Cathy’s murder. He and his friend and fellow priest, Peter McKeon, discovered Sister Cathy’s car parked at a strange angle across the street from her apartment.
Netflix
Sister Helen Russell Phillips
Sister Cathy's roommate in 1969 when she disappeared. The pair lived in the Carriage House Apartments building instead of at the convent, in an attempt to get closer to the secular world to better serve their students. When she realized Sister Cathy was missing, she called Koob, and together with him and McKeon, the three later called the police.
Netflix
Peter McKeon
McKeon was also a priest, and accompanied Koob to Sister Cathy's apartment when Sister Russell called to say she was missing. Koob says that he and McKeon went to the movie "Easy Rider" the night of Sister Cathy's disappearance.
Netflix
Edgar Davidson
According 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. In "The Keepers," Davidson said he called a radio show years later and said he had information about the case. During his interview in "The Keepers," however, he denied any involvement.
Netflix
Billy Schmidt
Sister Cathy's neighbor in the Carriage Hill Apartments building. His family believes he may have had something to do with Cathy's death, along with his brother, Ronnie, and an unknown man called "Skippy." He would eventually commit suicide.
Netflix
Dr. Christian Richter
A gynecologist who Maskell would take students to while he was serving at Keough. He was accused of sexual abuse and aiding Maskell, and was also named in a 1994 lawsuit. The suit was thrown out and Richter was never convicted of any wrongdoing. He died in 2006.
Netflix
Tom Nugent
Freelance journalist Tom Nugent covered Sister Cathy's death starting in 1994. Since then, he's been tracking and investigating the story over the years and is one of the investigators of her death in "The Keepers."
Netflix
Bob Erlandson
Bob Erlandson was a journalist working for the Baltimore Sun in 1993. He first reported on Sister Cathy's story because of Wehner's accusation that Maskell was involved in her murder. He worked on the story for the next year and a half, but said in "The Keepers" the archdiocese in Baltimore stonewalled him at every turn.
Netflix
Beverly Wallace
The attorney for "Jane Doe" and "Jane Roe" in the 1994 lawsuit against Maskell and the archdiocese.
Netflix
"Deep Throat"
An anonymous source who was a detective working on the Maskell case in 1994. He refuses to be identified, allegedly because he fears reprisals from people responsible for the cover-up of Sister Cathy's death and Maskell's abuse. He claims he interviewed more than 100 girls in the case who knew of or were involved in sexual abuse.
Netflix
Sharon A.H. May
The Baltimore State's attorney working on the Maskell case in 1994. She chose not to charge Maskell, saying the case lacked evidence. Because no criminal charges were leveled against Maskell, Wehner and Lancaster became plaintiffs in the 1994 lawsuit against Maskell and the archdiocese.
Netflix
Kathy Hobeck
In addition to Wehner and Lancaster, Kathy Hobeck is one of six abuse victims who appears in "The Keepers." She didn't come forward or join the lawsuit against Maskell in 1994. She was a member of the Keough class of 1970. In addition to the six abuse victims featured in the documentary, director Ryan White told TheWrap there are at least 40 victims in total, some from after Maskell's stint at Keough.
Netflix
Lil Hughes Knipp
Another of the women who were abused at Keough, Lil Hughes Knipp did not come forward until years after the 1994 lawsuit. She was a member of the Keough class of 1971.
Netflix
Charles Franz
In "The Keepers," Charles Franz came forward as one of Maskell's abuse victims in the 1960s. He said that when he told his mother of the abuse, she told the Baltimore Archdiocese in 1967 -- two years before Sister Cathy's murder. His account directly contradicts the church's story about what it knew about Maskell.
Netflix
Donna VonDenBosch
Donna VonDenBosch also has come forward as one of Maskell's abuse victims as a member of the Keough class of 1974. She was not part of the 1994 lawsuit but came forward later. The Baltimore Archdiocese reached a $35,000 settlement with VonDenBosch in 2016.
Netflix
Detective Gary Childs
Baltimore County Police Detective Childs is assigned to the cold case file for Sister Cathy's murder at the time of "The Keepers."
Netflix

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All the people you need to know to follow Netflix’s sprawling documentary series “The Keepers”

More than 40 years after her death, the case of Sister Cathy Cesnik's murder is still unsolved. Netflix's documentary series "The Keepers" dives into the case and uncovers a web of abuse that may be the source of a cover up and the murder. Here's our quick guide to all the people in "The Keepers" you need to know.

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'The Keepers': All the Major Players in Netflix's True Crime Documentary Series (Photos)

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