The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is preparing to exhume the remains of a murder victim, Joyce Helen Malecki, whose case was featured in the Netflix true crime series, “The Keepers.” Malecki, 20, vanished just four days after the murder of Sister Cathy Cesnik, a 26-year-old nun. The FBI has tentatively set the date for the exhumation as December 14, as informed to Malecki’s brother, Darryl, by an FBI investigator.
The exact purpose of the exhumation remains uncertain. Malecki and Cesnik lived in close proximity, with Malecki’s family home just two blocks away from the rectory of St. Clement Catholic Church, where Cesnik resided. Despite this, Darryl Malecki does not believe there is a direct link between the two deaths.
Joyce Helen Malecki disappeared on November 11, 1969, after a Christmas shopping trip to Harundale Mall. Her body was discovered two days later in Fort Meade by hunters.
“The Keepers” delves into allegations that Cesnik was killed after students at Archbishop Keough High School, an all-girls Catholic school where she taught, confided in her about sexual abuse they were experiencing. The accusations of abuse were primarily directed at Rev. A. Joseph Maskell and Rev. Neil Magnus. The students claimed that these men exploited the confessional to prey on vulnerable girls, luring them into their offices under the guise of counseling sessions, where they were allegedly drugged and abused.
According to the Maryland Office of the Attorney General, 39 individuals have filed claims against Maskell related to his tenure at Keough and other schools and parishes. Despite these allegations, no arrests have been made in connection with the abuse, as both priests are now deceased. Similarly, no arrests have been made in relation to the disappearances and murders of Cesnik and Malecki.
Malecki’s disappearance on November 11, 1969, followed a Christmas shopping trip at Harundale Mall. Her body was found two days later at Fort Meade, with her hands bound, and signs of strangulation and a stab wound to the throat. Cesnik’s body was discovered in a wooded area in January 1970.