Netflix's 'The Keepers' Sparks Petition to Release Files on Priest Suspected in Nun's Murder

Documentaries and docuseries such as Making a Murderer and Serial have sparked public interest in old crimes that has led to new developments in cases, and the latest true crime series to get the public detective treatment is Netflix's The Keeper.

Up Next: 'The Keepers' Director Reveals A Third Murder Investigation Was Cut From The Series

The docuseries, which investigates the murder of Catherine Cesnik, a nun who taught at Baltimore's Archbishop Keogh High School, has inspired an online petition asking the Baltimore Archdiocese to release their files on A. Joseph Maskell.

Maskell was a priest who is accused of sexually abusing students at the school. It is thought that he could be connected to Sister Cathy's death since it is believed she learned about the abuse before her disappearance and murder.

The petition requests that the Archdiocese release their files on Maskell to make it easier to "thoroughly investigate all avenues that may have led to the murder of Cathy Cesnik in 1969."

More: 'The Keepers' Update: New DNA Evidence Found In Sister Cathy Cesnik's Murder Case

It adds that it would be one step to "restore public trust in the Archdiocese, and confirm the Archdiocese's statements regarding their handling of the sexual abuse claims."

As of now, the petition has more than 11,500 signatures.

According to Entertainment Weekly, the Archdiocese released a statement in response to the petition through spokesperson, Sean Caine, saying:

"Archdiocesan policy and state law would preclude us from disclosing much of the information in them as they include confidential personal information (e.g. names of alleged sexual abuse victims), personnel records, health records, attorney-client communications, personally identifying information (such as social security numbers), etc."