Resident Blasts Investigation of Sea Isle Death

CREST HAVEN — A Sea Isle City resident chided freeholders, Feb. 24, for the County Prosecutor’s Office’s inability “to describe for the public” Tracy Hottenstein’s death “as being suspicious.”
Teresa Downey also called for freeholders to hire an independent panel to investigate, not only Hottenstein’s death, but also deaths of other women from previous years, whose names and cases are well known to Prosecutor Robert Taylor.
“We have a tendency to cover up crimes against women. To say that they are not important, I am saying they are,” said Downey.
“Women do not die outside under normal circumstances unless they are murdered,” said Downey.
Freeholders indicated they would not name such a panel.
“Everybody would like us to put out more information, but that’s not the way to conduct an investigation,” said Taylor in a Feb. 26 interview.
“You don’t put out all the information until the investigation is done,” he added.
To counter Downey’s inference that there was a systemic disregard of females’ unexplained deaths, Taylor outlined who are the lead investigators in that office.
“Head of the Major Crimes Unit is a woman, Lt. Lynn Frame. She is in charge of the investigation in Sea Isle City,” he said.
She heads up all sexual assault investigations in the county, said Taylor.
He further cited Senior Asst. Prosecutor Marian Ragusa, who prosecutes most sexual assault cases “on behalf of the office,” said Taylor.
“The idea that we need a panel to look at sexual assaults on women is unnecessary. We already have two experienced people. We have women looking at these crimes,” he added.
In a January 10, 2005 press conference, Taylor declared that the 1990 death of Susan Negersmith had been treated as a murder by his office.
At that time Taylor sought to “dispel any lingering idea” put forth by “two uninformed local residents,” that Negersmith’s death and those of three other women were the work of a serial killer.
Downey was one of those two Taylor alluded to while the other was Ruth Fisher.
At that time, the state Attorney General declined to take a more active role in the investigation.
Downey, at the freeholder meeting, also said “Cape May County has a reputation, historically, of having the highest rate of sexual assaults, domestic violence, illiteracy, and the highest number of women whose cases have not been classified as homicide.”
Vice Director Ralph Sheets told Downey the state Attorney General “has oversight in those investigations.”
He added that, if Downey believes the case is being mishandled, she should contact the state Attorney General.
Director Daniel Beyel refused to make any statement regarding the Hottenstein case.
Likewise Sea Isle City Mayor and Freeholder Leonard Desiderio declined to make any comment, “adhering to requests by the county prosecutor’s office and Sea Isle City Police Department.”
“It is a disservice to the women of this county, whether it’s suspicious or not,” said Downey. “It allows speculation to be fueled, in part, by the prosecutor’s decision not to characterize this (Hottenstein’s death) as suspicious. It places the responsibility on her for her death,” she stated.
Downey said there were “parallels” between the Hottenstein and Negersmith deaths.
“Both were last seen in a bar, and that leads the public to speculate that alcohol was used, and that she was responsible for what happened to her. She is not responsible for what happened to her,” said Downey.
She criticized the “way of handling them (cases).”
“If the prosecutor can’t classify them as suspicious, it creates a distrust between the public and the prosecutor,” she said.
Those “cases of unexpected and unexplained deaths” included:
• Carol Hill, 1970
• Patricia Ann Thompson, 1982
• Barbara Marks, 1986
• Susan Negersmith, 1990
Beyel added, “The prosecutor’s office has had tremendous growth of staff of over 20 people. I would think that they are committed more than ever to deal with current or past issues of concern you have expressed.”
“It’s a little alarming to hear your speculation,” Beyel added.
He again cited the ongoing investigation that was “moving forward.” If either the prosecutor or attorney general have “something to release to the public, especially to the members of the family of the victim, then the victim’s family will know, hopefully, that this is being addressed.”
“Speed is not necessarily something we want to see until everything is done thoroughly,” said Beyel.
Freeholder Gerald Thornton, who had heard Downey make prior demands for similar investigations, said, “Members of this board cannot second guess a criminal investigation. We all know that, very often, the forensic science is not a perfect science.”
He added it would be “highly unethical, and it may not be legal,” to disclose any information about the case at the present.
He cited the previous cases, and noted, “The Attorney General’s Office ruled it was an appropriate way the investigation was conducted.”
“I am not sure the families feel properly taken care of,” said Downey, adding she had “Never seen this copy of a letter” that Thornton said the attorney general sent to the county regarding conduct of the investigations.
Contact Campbell at (609) 886-8600 ext 28 or at: al.c@cmcherald.com