Suspect Arrested In Connection To 1990 Cold Case Sexual Assault Of Woman Found Dead On Jersey Shore: Prosecutors

A suspect was identified in connection to the sexual assault of a 20-year-old woman who was found dead while vacationing on the Jersey Shore over Memorial Day Weekend nearly 32 years ago, officials announced.

On May 27, 1990, police located the partially clothed body of Susan Negersmith of Carmel, New York, in a storage area behind a restaurant in Wildwood, New Jersey, the Cape May Prosecutor’s Office said.

An autopsy showed Negersmith was the victim of a sexual assault and forensic evidence was recovered from the scene, which investigators used to identify a DNA profile of her alleged attacker.

According to prosecutors, the profile was compared to multiple persons of interest over the years, but the case went cold — until 2018 when investigators used genetic genealogy analysis to allegedly match it to 62-year-old Jerry Rosado of Millville, New Jersey.

“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, has led to this long overdue arrest,” Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland said on April 8.

“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,” he added.

Rosado currently faces a second-degree sexual assault charge, which carries a possible sentence of 5 to 10 years in prison, Sutherland said.

According to authorities, the investigation is ongoing and more charges could be added.

Anyone with information concerning this case is asked to contact the Cape May County Sheriff’s Tip Line at cmcsheriff.net and click on anonymous tip, or by calling Cape May County Crime Stoppers at (609) 889-3597 or the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office at (609) 465-1135.