Priest's Body Exhumed Amid Investigation into Nun's Murder

By Christine Boynton
Fox Baltimore
May 4, 2017

http://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/priests-body-exhumed-amid-investigation-into-nuns-death

The death of Sister Catherine Ann Cesnik, now the subject of a Netflix documentary, remains under investigation. (Photo courtesy Baltimore County)

The body of Joseph Maskell, a Baltimore-area priest who died in 2001, has been exhumed as part of a murder investigation, police confirm.

The death of Sister Catherine Ann Cesnik, now the subject of a Netflix series, remains under investigation.

Cesnik was reported missing on November 7, 1969 and her decomposing body was found in Lansdowne on January 3, 1970.

A former student at Archbishop Keough High School came forward in the 1990s claiming that she had confided in Cesnik about being sexually abused by the priest, shortly before her disappearance.

"Sister Cesnik was on a sabbatical from the Roman Catholic Church and was teaching at Western High School in Baltimore City. Detectives believe that Sister Cesnik had been accosted in front of her residence as she was returning from the store, and forced back into her car. She was driven to Monumental Avenue where she was assaulted and murdered. Her car was recovered in the early morning hours of November 8, 1969, parked within walking distance of her residence. Therefore, detectives believe the person responsible lived in the area of Sister Cesnik's residence." -baltimorecountymd.gov

According to Baltimore County Police, Maskell’s body was exhumed on February 28, 2017 so that investigators could run an analysis to compare DNA found on the crime scene.

A Netflix documentary, "The Keepers," will examine the case.

It premieres on May 19