Priest’s DNA doesn’t match crime scene
His remains were exhumed in hopes of solving a Baltimore nun’s 1969 killing.
BALTIMORE — The DNA sample taken from a Roman Catholic priest who died in 2001 does not match evidence from the unsolved 1969 killing of Baltimore nun Sister Catherine Ann Cesnik, Baltimore County police said.
The remains of Father A. Joseph Maskell were exhumed in February so detectives could compare his DNA profile to a sample taken from the crime scene 47 years ago. Police said results received Wednesday from a forensics lab in Virginia excluded Maskell as a contributor to the DNA from the scene.
The announcement came two days before Friday’s premiere of the Netflix documentary series “The Keepers,” which focuses on Cesnik’s killing and on sexual abuse at Archbishop Keough High School in Baltimore.
Police spokeswoman Elise Armacost said that the results don’t necessarily clear Maskell as a suspect, but mean current forensic technology doesn’t provide a physical link between him and the crime scene.
“For now, we’ve pretty well reached the end of the road when it comes to forensic evidence,” she said. “Our best hope for solving this case at this point lies with the people who are still alive. And we hope that someone will be able to come forward with conclusive information about the murder.”
Cesnik, who taught at Keough and Western High School, went missing in November 1969. Her car was soon discovered near her Baltimore apartment, but her body was not found until January 1970 in a field outside the city. The 26-year-old had suffered blunt-force trauma to the head.
Maskell worked at Keough between 1967 and 1975 as a counselor and chaplain. Multiple former students have accused him of sexual abuse.
“The Keepers,” which has seven episodes, examines the theory that Cesnik was killed because she knew about the abuse.
The Police Department declined to specify what physical evidence remained in the nun’s slaying. Maskell’s DNA sample was analyzed at Bode Cellmark Forensics lab in Lorton, Va., police said.
Since the 1990s, police have tested the DNA of about six other suspects in Cesnik’s death, but none matched the evidence.
As with Maskell, Armacost said: “The fact that the DNA profiles of the various suspects have not matched the crime scene evidence — it doesn’t necessarily exonerate them.”
Police say they also submitted the DNA profile from the crime scene to the FBI’s national database, but there were no matches.
The Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore says it has paid a total of $472,000 in 16 settlements to people who said Maskell abused them, plus $97,000 more in counseling assistance.
Joanne Suder, an attorney who represents those with abuse claims against Maskell, says more people are talking about the case in light of recent developments, and she believes that will turn up new information for the investigation.
“Our office has received quite a few important calls that we intend to share with the police,” Suder said.
In the 1990s, a woman who came forward with abuse allegations told police Maskell had taken her to see Cesnik’s body before it was discovered by authorities.
In recent days, the archdiocese outlined its response to the case on its website, including a “Frequently Asked Questions” page and links to diocesan policies on reporting abuse.
Archdiocese officials said they first received an accusation about Maskell in 1992. The priest, who was then working at Holy Cross parish in Baltimore, denied the accusation. He was sent for psychological evaluation and treatment.
Church officials said they could not corroborate the allegations, and Maskell went to work at St. Augustine in Elkridge, Md., in 1993.
He was removed from the ministry in 1994 after more allegations surfaced, according to the archdiocese. He moved to Ireland and later returned to the United States.