May 1, 2008 11:22 pm US/Central
Playing Cards Behind Bars To Crack Cold Cases
(WCCO)
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The Florida playing cards feature 52 photos of missing people and murder victims, along with information about the unsolved crimes.
CBS
Mother's Day is just around the corner, and yet another year comes with Pam Dekok wondering where her mother is. Georgia Smith, Dekok's mother, took off from Champlin, Minn. in her blue Mercedes, headed for her cabin in northwestern Wisconsin.
Dekok and her siblings have tried everything they can think of to find their mother. They have held vigils, put up posters and met with the news media but, after almost nine years, the 76-year-old grandmother and her car are still missing.
"It wears on you every day," said Dekok. "If we could just get her body and be able to bury her."
Desperate for answers, her family is hoping for help solving her case from prisoners locked up behind bars in Minnesota prisons.
Early this summer, a photo of "Grandma Georgia" will be on playing cards in the hands of thousands of inmates in this state. It's part of a new low-tech crime tool that has already been used successfully to solve cold cases. Now it's giving hope to victims' families here in Minnesota.
Modeled after a program in Florida, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Minnesota Department of Corrections plan to distribute more than 10,000 decks of cold case playing cards to prisoners.
The cards will feature 52 photos of missing people and murder victims, along with information about the unsolved crimes.
"To solve crimes, you need to go where you think the information will be," said BCA Superintendent Tim O'Malley. "It's not unlike being able to interview 10,000 people at one time."
The Florida playing card project was the brainchild of a cold case homicide detective in that state. He knew prisoners spend a lot of time playing cards and talking.
The cards have already been credited for helping crack at least four cases in the Sunshine State. One inmate interviewed in a report for the CBS Early Show commented, "I don't care if it is a family member, I would still have to turn him in."
Minnesota investigators hope the playing cards also get inmates to share their secrets and generate hot new leads on cold cases.
"We've looked at the cases to find some that we think are solvable," said O'Malley.
The victims' photos been gathered by police agencies all over the state, with permission form their families.
"They all have family so you appeal to them saying, 'Hey, this is somebody's family member.' That sometimes will hit people," said St. Paul Police Commander Tim Lynch, who has submitted six unsolved cases.
The St. Paul group includes the murder of elementary school teacher Frank Kastelic. It has been unsolved for almost 20 years.
"There's a lot of information and secrets held by people in prison," said Lynch.
Authorities expect some prisoners may look for favorable treatment in exchange for sharing their secrets.
Whatever their motives, Georgia Smith's daughter hopes the decks of cards will help end the agonizing waiting games for families like hers.
"If one person comes forward for one of those cards, it will be one step farther than the rest of us and then that will give hope for the rest of the other 51 people," said Dekok.
Target is picking up the tab to pay for the production of the cold case cards. The cards will also be posted online.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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