meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Foul Play: A Historical True Crime Podcast

Baltimore: Schmidt Family Shadows

Foul Play: A Historical True Crime Podcast

Shane L. Waters, Wendy Cee, Gemma Hoskins

History, Society & Culture, True Crime

4.5 β€’ 992 Ratings

πŸ—“οΈ 25 September 2018

⏱️ 36 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Episode two of our investigative series, "Sister Cathy: Schmidt Family Shadows," finds hosts Shane Waters and Gemma Hoskins engaging in a poignant dialogue with Sharon Schmidt.

In an intimate discussion, Sharon opens up about her family's proximity to a chilling nexus of unanswered questions and untimely deaths, with her uncle living just across from Sister Cathy Cesnik when she met her untimely end. As if torn from the pages of a novel, Sharon recounts the perplexing circumstances that shroud her family in mystery.

With one unsolved murder casting a long shadow over their lives, the occurrence of a second tragedy just years later bends the arc of coincidence into a circle of suspicion. We explore the disturbing thought: Could there be a link between these two dark chapters in the Schmidt family history?

This episode peers into the complexities and potential connections in these cases, examining the impact of Sister Cathy's murder on those who lived in the orbit of its intrigue. Sharon's testimony adds depth to our understanding of the time and raises important questions about the possibility of overlapping motives or a shared perpetrator.

Together with Shane and Gemma, our listeners are invited to scrutinize the fragments of the past that Sharon brings to the table. Through a careful analysis of the Schmidt family's reflections, we examine deeper into the layers of a narrative that has, for too long, been deprived of clarity.

As "The Keepers" laid the groundwork for this in-depth exploration, our series continues to expand on the revelations and insights that have emerged since. In this ongoing journey to piece together the truth, we uncover the stark reality that sometimes the most telling stories arise not from what is known, but from what remains hidden in plain sight.

So, come with us as we explore the confluence of tragedy and coincidence in "Sister Cathy: Schmidt Family Shadows," where every memory shared has the power to bring us closer to unveiling the ultimate truth behind these unsolved murders. Visit us online at itsfoulplay.com
Our Sponsors: * Check out Kensington Publishing: https://www.kensingtonbooks.com * Check out Mood and use my code SHANE for a great deal: https://mood.com Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

I'm going to Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, After Netflix's docueries, The Keepers aired, the World was flooded by the story of

0:37.6

murder, sexual abuse, and a mafia-style hold the Baltimore Catholic Church seemingly had on the city.

0:46.0

If you haven't seen the series or if it's been a while, please go back and watch the series

0:51.0

so you too can help us craft this series in a way where we can continue the conversation

0:57.1

that was left a year later.

0:59.9

You are about to hear a conversation, Jima Hoskins and I have, with Sharon Smith.

1:05.0

Sharon is the niece you heard from in the Keepers,

1:08.1

who spoke about her uncle, Billy Smith,

1:10.6

who lived in the apartment across from Sister Kathy and sister Russell in the carriage house apartments.

1:17.0

The documentary went out, The Keepers of course.

1:21.2

What did you think would have been their reaction prior to it coming out?

1:25.0

What were your expectation?

1:27.0

It was interesting because in the way that they filmed the documentary,

1:31.0

everybody had their own sitting and talking and so as the filming was happening and I think I met with the crew at least three times

1:40.5

I never knew what other people were saying I didn't know anything so I only knew what other people were saying. I didn't know anything, so I only knew my portion of the story.

1:46.2

When we were way into it and I developed a friendship with Jemma and also with Alan Horn and I would spend exorbitant

1:54.8

amounts of time talking to Alan Horn sometimes and they started to share little

1:59.1

bits with me of other things that were being discovered. I really didn't know what to expect, but I will say that

2:06.4

when I watched the documentary for the first time, I watched it with a house full of people that I had

2:11.4

asked to come over, because I just didn't know what was going to happen.

2:16.0

And I felt like I had two dichotomies going on at the same time.

2:21.5

I felt like I was, it did not feel like I was watching myself and I watched the

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Shane L. Waters, Wendy Cee, Gemma Hoskins, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Shane L. Waters, Wendy Cee, Gemma Hoskins and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright Β© Tapesearch 2026.