A 62-year-old man from Millville, New Jersey has been charged with sexually assaulting a woman whose dead body was found partially clothed near dumpsters behind a Wildwood restaurant in a cold-case murder that took place 32 years ago.
Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland and Wildwood Police Chief Robert Regalbuto report the arrest of Jerry Rosado, 62, for the sexual assault of Susan Negersmith, who was a 20-year-old from Carmel, New York visiting the Wildwood area with friends for Memorial Day Weekend in 1990.
On Sunday, May 27, 1990, the partially clothed body of Negersmith was discovered, in a rear outside storage area, adjacent to a restaurant in Wildwood. An autopsy was performed on the remains of Miss Negersmithand it was determined that she was sexually assaulted.
During the course of the next thirty-two (32) years an intense investigation was conducted by numerous law enforcement agencies including the Major Crimes Unit of the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office, the Wildwood Police Detective Bureau, the New Jersey State Police Major Crimes Unit, and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI).
During the investigation, an unknown STR DNA profile was identified from the body of Susan Negersmith. This profile was compared to multiple individuals of interest over the years all with negative results.
In 2018 the Major Crimes Unit of the Prosecutors Office, with the knowledge of new DNA technology, started a Genetic Genealogy Analysis of the unknown DNA profile.
That new technology allowed officials to match a DNA sample found on Negersmith’s body with Rosado after decades of comparing the sample to persons of interest with negative results.
As the result of that genealogy analysis, it was determined that Jerry Rosado was a STR DNA match to the unknown profile.
“Countless law enforcement professionals and prosecutors have worked on resolving this case over the last thirty-two years and their collective dedicated effort, in conjunction with the improvements in DNA Technology and Genetic Genealogy Analysis to this long-overdue arrest. I want to particularly commend the Major Crimes Cold Case Unit of the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office for their steadfast efforts in finally providing a measure of justice to the Negersmith family,” Sutherland said.
Rosado is charged with the second-degree crime of sexual assault.
Sutherland said a person convicted of a second-degree crime is subject to a term of imprisonment of 5to 10 years in New Jersey state prison.
This investigation is ongoing and should additional information become available additional charges could be made.
Sutherland urges anyone who has information concerning this case to report it anonymously through the Cape May County Sheriff’s Tip Line at cmcsheriff.net and click on an anonymous tip, or through the Cape May County Crime Stoppers at 609-889-3597 or call the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office at 609-465-1135.