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Cards Make A Play For A Break In Cold Cases

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By THOMAS W. KRAUSE

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 30, 2008

TAMPA - The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is hoping that jail inmates, with little to do but play cards, can help solve 52 cold cases from across the state.

For the third time in a little more than a year, the FDLE has released a deck of playing cards. Each card in the deck bears the photo of a missing or slain person as well as details of the case.

As details of the current program were announced publicly Friday, Carole Bernhardt stood in an FDLE auditorium wearing a T-shirt adorned with several images of her grandson, Zachary Bernhardt.

The pictures show Zachary at 8 years old, at 10 years old and at 14 years old. Only the first picture is real. The others are computer composites designed to show how he would look if his family were still able to photograph him.

Zachary has been missing from Clearwater since 1999. He would be 16 today.

"It's terrible," she said. "You have to watch him grow up on a T-shirt."

Bernhardt said she is honored that Zachary is included in the new deck of cards.

Maybe, she said, an inmate in one of Florida's county jails will see the picture and know something. Maybe, she said, an inmate will hear another inmate talking about the boy on the four of diamonds.

Maybe an inmate will come forward with new information and Zachary will be found.

In summer 2007, the FDLE released two decks of cards displaying cold case pictures and information. Two of those cases have been solved.

A man is awaiting trial on charges that he murdered 53-year-old James Foote of Fort Myers. Foote was shot dead in 2004. An inmate who saw the cards provided information that led to the arrest.

Donna Foote said her husband's death remained a mystery for two years, 11 months and four days - until the playing cards ended up in front of the right person.

The 2004 slaying of Ingrid Lugo in Bradenton also was solved by an inmate who saw the playing cards, said Frank Brunner, executive director of Manatee County Crime Stoppers.

That inmate waived his immunity and testified against Bryan Curry, who was convicted and is serving a life sentence, Brunner said.

The playing cards are distributed in all of Florida's county jails and through Florida's probation offices. That means 206,000 decks will go to 65,000 inmates and 141,000 people on probation.

The toll-free number for Crime Stoppers is on each card. Crime Stoppers collects anonymous tips and pays cash rewards for information that leads to arrests or convictions.

The cards were purchased through a federal grant of more than $87,000. Each deck costs about 33 cents to produce.

The idea for the cold-case playing cards originated in Polk County, inspired by U.S. troops distributing playing cards featuring Iraq's most wanted fugitives.

After several quick successes, several law enforcement agencies in Florida followed suit. The concept has expanded to several states and international agencies, said Jim Madden, the special agent in charge of Tampa's FDLE office.

Reporter Thomas W. Krause can be reached at (813) 259-7698 or tkrause@tampatrib.com.

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