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‘The Keepers’: The unsolved murder of Cathy Cesnik

Mystery and horror takes Netflix by storm in the form of a seven-episode show called “The Keepers” about the challenges of two women from the 1970 class at Archbishop Keough High School in Maryland who try and crack the unsolved murder of their beloved teacher Sister Catherine Cesnik.

Cesnik went out on the night of November 7, 1969 and mysteriously disappeared. Friend and roommate Sister Helen Russel Phillips, who had also taught at the school, grew worried as to why she was missing for so long, and called Reverends Peter McKeon and Gerard J. Koob for help. The trio did not find her that night after intense searching, so they called the local police.

The police found her car parked oddly over a block away from her apartment with twigs and mud inside. On January 3, 1970, the shocking discovery of her body was found close to a garbage dump a few towns over. The cause of death was pronounced as head-force trauma.

Over 50 years later, the murder of the nun remains a mystery. Former students Abbie Fitzgerald Schaub and Gemma Hoskins intend to unravel the case. Theories are spun about who was involved and why. The main suspect at the moment is Father Joseph Maskell, who was a predatory priest.

Maskell was reported to have sexually abused the girls in the school, moving and acting with secrecy. It is suspected that Cesnik wanted justice for the women in the school, but was killed by Maskell before she had gotten the chance.

Junior Amanda Penna says, “I was hooked after the first episode. The mystery of who murdered Sister Cathy is really interesting, especially since it hasn’t been solved yet. I have suspicions on who had done it. I hope Abbie and Gemma finally solve who killed her.”

Schaub and Hoskins begin by looking back on what occurred while they were students at the school. They contacted the women who were sexually abused by Maskell, who provided stories that lead to more people who are now suspected of the murder.

A woman by the name of Jean Wehner filed a claim against Maskell, claiming he had brought her to Cesnik’s body. She reported that he said, “You see what happens when you say bad things about people?” This defining report leads the women to something far greater than what they were expecting.

Junior Nick Ranieri says, “I always scrolled past the trailer on Netflix, but since someone recommended it to me, I gave it a try. Turns out the show is really cool. I finished season one in about a week; really hard to stop watching once you start.”

You’ll be clawing couch cushions, anxious to see another lead the duo gets. Each episode introduces new people to the plot and even more information that unfolds into something greater. This thriller is a documentary that sends chills down your spine, as the information told is very eerie and hard to swallow.

Every episode in the series is an hour long, but once you start, you will be so invested and watch the whole series in a day or two. Schaub and Hoskins will not stop until every stone is turned and the murder is solved.

How do you think this murder will finally be solved?

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