Across Florida, more than 20,000 murders remain unsolved and the fate of approximately 1,744 missing Floridians is unknown.
As time passes, these cases become “cold” due to a host of challenges, including uncooperative or inconsistent witnesses, conflicting information, and insufficient evidence.
Additionally, many police departments simply lack the resources to keep older cases active, leading to a stalemate once all viable leads are exhausted and leaving many families in a perpetual state of uncertainty, yearning for justice and closure. .
But there is hope. The oldest case ever handled by the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office, called “The Milkman Murder,” was opened in 1968 after a decorated World War II veteran turned milkman was killed on the road. of the. This year, thanks to a witness coming forward, the killer was identified and the case was solved, 56 years later.
Still, there’s a reason cold cases weren’t solved the first time: Authorities need new information, and the Florida Crime Stoppers Association hopes a set of cards can help: Cold Case Cards .
The cards, which can be used to play, were created to shed light on Florida’s unsolved cases, through a partnership between Crime Stoppers and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Florida Department of Corrections and the Attorney General’s Office. Florida General.
Each card in the deck features a photograph and crucial information about a specific case, with the goal of generating new leads and, ultimately, justice.
The concept was put into practice in July 2007, when approximately 100,000 decks of these unsolved playing cards were distributed to inmates in the state’s prisons.
The murder of Ingrid Lugo
The cards showed 104 unsolved cases from across Florida, including the tragic murder of Ingrid Lugo, whose story appeared on the Six of Spades.
Ingrid had moved to Sarasota, Florida, from Venezuela, pursuing the American dream, but less than two weeks before Christmas 2004, Ingrid’s lifeless body was discovered in a retention pond. Despite her family’s desperate search for answers, her case remained unsolved for three years.
However, the distribution of the cold case cards sparked a breakthrough when an inmate recognized Ingrid’s story in the deck and provided critical information implicating her fiancé, Bryan Curry, leading to his arrest and eventual conviction for second degree murder.
New Unsolved Case Card Deck Released
During a press conference Monday, state Attorney General Ashley Moody announced that she felt the time was right to create and distribute another deck of cold case playing cards, online and in Florida jails and prisons.
“Cases that have gone cold, meaning there are no leads to follow or we have stopped receiving information, are some of the most difficult to solve,” Moody said. “And according to the cold case project in Florida there are approximately 20,000 unsolved homicides, and these 20,000 cases do not represent just those victims, but they represent the families of all those who still yearn and yearn for justice in their families’ cases. . .”
Moody emphasized that even if the information does not appear to be important or significant, it could be the key piece to solving a case.
More than 5,000 decks of cards will be printed and distributed at more than 60 county jails managed by Florida Sheriff’s offices and 145 sites managed by the Florida Department of Corrections.
The cards are also available for public viewing on the Crime Stoppers website. And there are three ways to share tips.
- Call the Crime Stoppers Tip Line. Anyone can report tips about a crime from anywhere in the state anonymously by dialing **8477 (which is also **TIPS).
- Visit the website. Go to the Florida Crime Fighting Association website to leave an anonymous tip.
- Discharge the mobile application.
Below, we will delve into some of the compelling cases featured in the presentation, in the hope that greater awareness will help solve these long-standing mysteries and close the doors for grieving families.
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