Case overview
Sister Cathy Cesnik, a 26-year-old nun and teacher at Archbishop Keough High School in Baltimore, disappeared on November 7, 1969, after leaving her apartment to run errands. Her body was discovered two months later in a wooded area outside the city, partially decomposed and showing signs of blunt force trauma. Despite multiple suspects and decades of investigation, no arrests have been made in the murder of Sister Cathy Cesnik.
The day she went missing
On the evening of November 7, 1969, Cesnik told her roommate, Sister Helen Russell Phillips, that she was going to a nearby bakery and possibly cashing a check. She left their apartment in the Carriage House Apartments in southwest Baltimore around 7:00 p.m. in her green Ford Maverick. She did not return.
Phillips reported her missing the next day when Cesnik failed to show up for work at Archbishop Keough High School, where she taught English and drama. Her car was found parked near the apartment complex with no signs of struggle inside.
Cesnik had recently decided to leave religious life. She had applied for a teaching position in the public school system and was preparing to leave her order. According to those close to her, she appeared optimistic about the transition.
Discovery of the body
On January 3, 1970, nearly two months after Cesnik vanished, two hunters found her body in a remote, snow-covered area off Monumental Avenue in Lansdowne, about 10 miles from her apartment. The location was secluded and not easily accessible.
The autopsy determined that Cesnik died from blunt force trauma to the head. Her body was partially decomposed, and the medical examiner could not determine whether she had been sexually assaulted. Her clothing was found nearby. The condition of the remains and the delay in discovery limited forensic analysis.
Investigators did not identify a clear motive or suspect. The case went cold within months.
Early investigation and suspects
Baltimore County police interviewed family, friends, colleagues, and students. No robbery appeared to have occurred, and there was no indication Cesnik had been involved in a personal dispute.
Within the first year, suspicion began to center on Father A. Joseph Maskell, the school chaplain and counselor at Archbishop Keough. Multiple women would later allege that he sexually abused them while they attended the school in the late 1960s. Some claimed they had confided in Cesnik about the abuse shortly before her death.
Maskell was never charged in connection with Cesnik’s murder. He denied any involvement and was never arrested. He left the Baltimore area in the 1970s and continued working in Catholic institutions until he was removed from ministry in 1994 following abuse allegations. He died in 2001.
Another individual of interest was Edgar Davidson, a local man with a history of violent offenses. In the early 1990s, former students came forward alleging that Maskell and Davidson had worked together and that Davidson may have been involved in Cesnik’s death. No physical evidence connected Davidson to the crime, and he was never charged. He died in 2003.
Allegations and reinvestigation
In 1992, a former Keough student named Jean Wehner came forward publicly, alleging that Maskell sexually abused her repeatedly during her time at the school. Wehner also claimed that Maskell showed her Cesnik’s body shortly after her death and threatened her into silence. Other former students corroborated aspects of Wehner’s account, describing similar abuse and intimidation.
Wehner’s allegations prompted renewed attention to the case. In 1994, Baltimore County police reopened the investigation and exhumed Cesnik’s body for further forensic examination. Investigators collected DNA samples and reexamined evidence, but no charges resulted.
The Archdiocese of Baltimore conducted its own internal review and removed Maskell from active ministry. The church reached settlements with several women who alleged abuse, though it did not admit liability in Cesnik’s death.
Media attention and public pressure
In 2017, Netflix released “The Keepers,” a seven-part documentary series focusing on the murder of Sister Cathy Cesnik and the allegations of abuse at Archbishop Keough. The series featured interviews with former students, investigators, and family members. It examined the connections between Cesnik’s death, Maskell’s alleged abuse, and the institutional response by the Catholic Church.
The documentary prompted thousands of tips to the Baltimore County Police Department. Investigators reviewed the new information, but no arrests followed.
Former students and advocacy groups continued to call for the release of church documents and investigative files related to both the abuse allegations and Cesnik’s murder. Some records have been made public through litigation, but others remain sealed or were reportedly destroyed.
The record today
The murder of Sister Cathy Cesnik remains unsolved. Baltimore County police have stated that the case is still open and that investigators periodically review evidence as forensic technology advances. DNA evidence collected during the 1994 exhumation has been reexamined multiple times, but no matches have been publicly reported.
Both Maskell and Davidson, the two primary individuals of interest, are deceased. No other suspects have been publicly identified. Investigators have not confirmed whether Cesnik’s death was directly connected to her knowledge of abuse at the school, though the timing and allegations have fueled ongoing speculation.
Advocates and former students continue to press for accountability and transparency. Some have called for the appointment of a special prosecutor or the release of additional church records. The Archdiocese of Baltimore has maintained that it cooperated with law enforcement and does not possess evidence related to the murder.
Cesnik’s family has expressed frustration with the pace of the investigation and the lack of resolution. They have supported efforts to keep the case in the public eye.
Where to look next
- Documentary: “The Keepers” (Netflix)
- Book: “We Believe You: Survivors of Clergy Abuse Speak Out” by Anne Barrett Doyle and Gemma Hoskins
- Podcast: “The Keepers” (“True Crime Garage”, Audiochuck)
