EXCLUSIVE: New Clue In 25 Year Old Unsolved Wildwood Murder
By Walt Hunter
WILDWOOD, N.J., (CBS) – Twenty-five years ago, Susan Negersmith, a college student, went to Wildwood to celebrate the Memorial Day Holiday with friends.
She never returned.
The 20-year-old's body, partially clad and badly beaten, found in an alley near Schellenger and Atlantic Avenues, on May 27, 1990.
"I will never stop for the rest of my life until we find who did this," Susan's sister Emily told CBS 3's Walt Hunter in an exclusive interview.
Cape May County Prosecutor Robert Taylor revealed that a single hair found at the crime scene in 1990 could provide the DNA evidence needed to crack the case, thanks to technology that didn't exist then. However, Taylor cautioned, he's awaiting advice from experts before proceeding because there's a risk that analyzing the hair could destroy it before vital evidence is extracted.
"It's a terrible murder," the prosecutor told Hunter, "it kind of weighs on your heart."
The search for the killer was initially made more complicated after medical examiners waited three years to rule Negersmith's death a homicide, at first saying she died from natural causes.
Teresa Downey who has worked with the Negersmith family for more than 20 years seeking justice reflected to Hunter, "she suffered terribly, great violence was inflicted on her. I have always believed that justice for Susan is possible."
Emily Negersmith telling Hunter, "I just dream of the day, the prosecutor calls us and they tell us they found someone."
Anyone with information is asked to call the Cape May County Prosecutor's Major Crimes Unit at 609-465-1135 or the Tipline 609-463-LEAD (5323).
