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Netflix

Sister Cathy's Family Has Spoken Out About 'The Keepers'

by Caralynn Lippo

The Keepers is the latest addition to Netflix's critically-acclaimed collection of true crime shows and movies. Most documentaries (and docuseries) vary when it comes to how much the people involved in the story want to participate. Of course, it can be incredibly painful for those closely associated with a murder victim to relive the circumstances in order to be part of one. When it comes to The Keepers, there seems to be no shortage of people who want to talk about the late Sister Catherine Cesnik, but what does Sister Cathy's family think of The Keepers?

Cesnik's murder has long been a cold case, though it has been investigated more frequently on and off in recent years. No one has ever been charged with the crime — or even seriously investigated by the Baltimore County Police. The young nun went missing in November 1969 and turned up strangled and beaten to death nearly two months later, making the case nearly 50 years old. Because of how old the case is, many people involved are long dead. That includes Cesnik's parents, Joseph Cesnik and Ann Cesnik, who died in 1985 and 2015, respectively.

A cousin of Cesnik's named Gregory did speak with Tom Nugent about his relative in connection with the Baltimore Sun's "Who Killed Sister Cathy?" feature back in 2005, long before The Keepers was in the works. He recalled attending Cesnik's burial service as a 12-year-old, remembering "the sorrow everybody felt" and "the look of anguish on [Cesnik's] father's face."

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But Cesnik was one of four sisters, according to the obituary for her mother. Of Cesnik's siblings, Marilyn Cesnik Radakovic has been the one most closely associated with the renewed investigation into her sister's long-unsolved death. Ryan White, the director of The Keepers, even called Radakovic one of the "most important participants" in the series.

Despite the fact that Radakovic is an integral part of The Keepers, members of the Cesnik family have not spoken out much about the late nun. Radakovic was contacted by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about the new series, replying only that "passing years have made it no easier to talk about the murder." She also said that she was close to her "wonderful sister," noting that Cesnik was "so much more than a murder victim." As far as the specifics, Radakovic requested that the reporter get information directly from White, the director.

It makes sense that Cesnik's family is keeping relatively quiet when it comes to press for the case — it is, after all, an ongoing investigation. But the fact that Radakovic is involved with The Keepers certainly seems to be an assurance that the docuseries takes care to tell Cesnik's story and attempts to solve the mystery of her fate.