A Millville man charged with the rape of a woman found dead in Wildwood nearly 32 years ago was first linked to the case last year.
Jerry Rosado, now 62, is jailed for second-degree sexual assault in the attack on Susan Negersmith. There have not yet been any charges in her killing.
Negersmith was just 20 when her body was found May 27, 1990, partially clothed in a rear storage area next to a Wildwood restaurant.
DNA found on her body could never be matched to any person of interest.
Then, in 2018, the Major Crimes Unit started a Genetic Genealogy Analysis of the unknown DNA profile, according to Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey Sutherland.
That brought investigators to Jerry Rosado, who gave a buccal swab on May 26, 2021, exactly 31 years after the attack, according to the affidavit of probable cause obtained by BreakingAC.
A report from the State Police DNA Laboratory confirmed Rosado was a match for the unknown DNA in June.
Detectives re-interviewed a man who was last seen with Negersmith in February, the affidavit states.
The unnamed witness "reiterated the same information provided during his initial interview," Detective Jennifer Falciani wrote.
He said Negersmith was extremely intoxicated and that he took her from the party May 26, 1990, and tried to escort her back to her hotel, but was unable to and wound up leaving her in the area where she was found dead the next day.
"According to (named redacted), the victim was so intoxicated that she was incapable of consenting to sex," the detective wrote.
A toxicology report showed her blood-alcohol content was .285.
Rosado is now in the Cape May County jail awaiting a detention hearing. The investigation is ongoing, and more charges could follow.
Anyone with information concerning this case can report it anonymously through the Cape May County Sheriff’s Tip Line at
cmcsheriff.net and click on anonymous tip, or through the Cape May County Crime Stoppers at 609-889-3597. Information can also be called in to the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office at 609-465-1135.
Nearly 32 years after she was found dead in Wildwood, a man has been arrested in the sexual assault of a New York woman. Susan Negersmith was just 20 when she was found dead May 27, 1990.
