The Suspects and the Silence
Foul Play: A Historical True Crime Podcast
Shane L. Waters, Wendy Cee, Gemma Hoskins
4.5 • 992 Ratings
🗓️ 11 June 2026
⏱️ 51 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Shane Waters and Gemma Hoskins continue their first sit-down in over a year, working through the second half of the questions listeners submitted through the show's Facebook community. This is the follow-up to "The Mary Statue and Unanswered Questions, " a wide-ranging conversation about the unsolved 1969 murder of Sister Catherine Ann Cesnik in Baltimore, Maryland. Known to millions through the Netflix documentary The Keepers, Gemma has spent more than a decade investigating what happened to Sister Cathy, the young School Sister of Notre Dame who taught English and drama at Archbishop Keough High School.
The Persons of Interest
Listeners asked about the figures who have circled this case for years. Gemma explains why "Brother Bob" has never been publicly identified, how the nickname came to stand for more than one man, and why she has stepped back from the theory she put forward in her own 2019 book. She and Shane talk through how a single murder sits at the center of a web of other abuse and other suspected crimes, and why that makes Sister Cathy's case so difficult to untangle.
New Questions Around Father Koob
Gemma describes the women who have come forward in recent years with accusations against Father Gerard Koob, and walks through why, in her understanding, charges have been so hard to bring, including questions of jurisdiction and corroboration, since only some of the accusers were abused in Maryland. She recounts asking Detective Josh Battaglia to put her questions to Koob directly. Koob, who was the subject of a 2023 Baltimore Banner investigation by reporter Justin Fenton, continues to deny wrongdoing and says listeners are thinking of a different man. He has not been charged.
Who Knew, and the Attorney General's Report
Shane and Gemma discuss how much the staff at Archbishop Keough may have known, and why so many people went quiet after Sister Cathy was killed. They place it in the context of the Maryland Attorney General's 2023 report on clergy abuse in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, a 456-page document detailing the abuse of more than 600 children across decades and the conclusion that "no parish went untouched. " That history is part of what is driving the Archdiocese's current bankruptcy.
Joyce Malecki and the Sealed Files
The conversation turns to Joyce Malecki, the 20-year-old whose 1969 murder near Fort Meade has long been discussed alongside Sister Cathy's. Gemma updates listeners on the 2023 exhumation of Joyce's body, the family's still-unanswered request for thousands of pages of FBI files first sought in 2014, and the letter Senator Chris Van Hollen carried to the White House on their behalf. Shane makes the case for why physical evidence in an unsolved murder should never be destroyed.
Cathy's Family
Gemma reflects on why Sister Cathy's family chose to step out of the spotlight after The Keepers, the heartbreak of learning their loved one's death may not have been random, and the dignity of their decision to protect their own peace.
Content Warning
This episode discusses clergy abuse and violence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Gemma Hoskins?
Gemma Hoskins is a retired Baltimore teacher and former student at Archbishop Keough High School. She has spent more than a decade investigating the murder of her former teacher, Sister Cathy Cesnik, and was one of the central figures in the Netflix documentary The Keepers. She was named Maryland Teacher of the Year in 1992.
Has anyone been charged in Sister Cathy's murder?
No. The 1969 murder of Sister Catherine Cesnik remains unsolved, and no one has ever been charged.
What is the Maryland Attorney General's report?
Released in 2023, the report documented decades of child sexual abuse within the Archdiocese of Baltimore, naming Father Joseph Maskell among its most prolific abusers and identifying more than 600 victims across the Archdiocese.
Who is investigating Sister Cathy's case today?
Detective Josh Battaglia of the Baltimore County Police Department currently handles the investigation. He took overfrom Corporal Robin Teal after her retirement.
Crisis Resources
If you or someone you know has been affected by abuse:
US: RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline, 1-800-656-4673
US: Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline, 1-800-422-4453
UK: NSPCC Helpline, 0808 800 5000
UK: Rape Crisis England & Wales, 0808 500 2222
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 | All right, Gemma, welcome back. |
| 0:11.7 | This is again, you know, we said we were only going to do one more, and this is one more to the one more. |
| 0:17.6 | Okay. |
| 0:18.5 | But you know how we get, Gemma. |
| 0:20.1 | We get to talking, and there's more stuff that we just find that we have to talk about. That's fine. I know. |
| 0:26.7 | All right, Gemma, so the last half of the questions from listeners goes like this. We're going to talk about four different suspects or persons of interest that people have been talking about. |
| 0:38.2 | So this question is asking, has Jean or anyone made any public remarks about the name of |
| 0:45.3 | who brother Bob is? |
| 0:47.3 | No. |
| 0:48.6 | She's not made any public, you said any public remarks about the identity. She has not made any public remarks. |
| 0:59.7 | And did she talk about it in her book? Because the question specifically said that listeners |
| 1:04.7 | have said that she shared more information than what the documentary says. She talks about Brother Bob in her book, but it's what's the word I'm looking for when |
| 1:17.5 | something's not real obvious, not evasive, but it's a little obscure. |
| 1:24.2 | Yes. |
| 1:25.1 | And it's not a clear statement. Yeah. Yeah, so she does refer to it and, you know, people can buy the book and see what they think, but she has not made public who the identity is, although she has shared that with the police and a select few people. |
| 1:49.9 | Yeah, and I think, Jemma, for you, one thing that I've always respected about you is when someone |
| 1:55.7 | comes to you and gives you information, but they say they don't want it shared for whatever reason. |
| 2:02.0 | Even with survivors throughout this whole time that I've known you, when they share information, |
| 2:06.5 | you're always quick to ask, is this information that I can share? |
| 2:10.5 | Or do you not want me to share it? |
| 2:12.6 | Right. |
| 2:12.9 | And I really value that every time we breach this brother Bob subject, you are always, I can kind of |
... |
Transcript will be available on the free plan in 24 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.
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 © Tapesearch 2026.