A deck of cards wasn’t just for playing Poker or Rummy, it was to help find new leads and tips for unsolved homicides and missing person cases in Massachusetts.
More than a year and a half after their release, Massachusetts State Police said the cards have created more than 75 new leads.
In February 2022, The Unresolved Cases Unit, in partnership with the state Department of Correction, and the various district attorneys created the playing cards that featured photos and information on 52 of the state’s unsolved homicides and missing person investigations. The deck’s two Joker cards have no photo, but instead have text saying that unsolved crime is no joke.
Each card contained the toll-free number to call with information, 855-MA-SOLVE, or 855 627-6583.
“The victims in this deck were someone’s mother, father, sister, brother, wife, husband, child, or partner,” state police Col. Christopher Mason said. “Much time may have passed since the crime that took them from their loved ones. But they, and the victims of all our unresolved cases, are not forgotten.”
Several cards involve notorious, unsolved cases from Western Massachusetts.
Molly Bish, the 16-year-old girl abducted from her lifeguard job in Warren, and whose body was found three years later in Palmer, is the Queen of Spades.
Holly Piirainen, abducted in 1993 in Sturbridge and found murdered in Brimfield months later, is the 2 of Hearts.
Other cards included lesser known cases.
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The card decks were distributed to the district attorneys, who distributed them to local police.
The Department of Correction also distributed them among the state prison population. The hope was that inmates playing cards will have their memories jogged, and then be motivated to share what they know.
Several other states and countries have also utilized playing cards as a means to seek leads on unresolved cases. That included Florida where, within three months, the cards generated 60 tips, leading to four convictions.
As of Friday, the 76 leads received through the cards, including Essex county, were investigated and “several have been deemed to contain reliable information,” Massachusetts State Police told MassLive.
However, none of the leads have resulted in arrests, as the investigations are ongoing.
State Police also hope to get additional funding for future cards to include more cases.
To submit information regarding these unresolved cases, call toll free 1-855-MA-SOLVE, email mspunresolved@pol.state.ma.us, or send a letter to the Unresolved Cases Unit at 470 Worcester Road, Framingham, MA 01702.
