Florida law enforcement agencies are dealing out a new deck of playing cards to generate new leads and solve some longstanding criminal investigations.
Each card features the faces and stories of unsolved homicide and missing persons cases, including several from Northeast Florida.
In 2016, Charles Durden and his friend, Staffon Larry, were found inside an burned out SUV in St. Augustine. Investigators say their car was set on fire after both men were shot to death.
Annette Durden, Charles’ mother, told News4JAX last year that her family hasn’t given up hope that they will get answers.
“I don’t know if they are afraid to come forward or what, but every year me, my sister and my brother, brother in law, they stand beside me and we do this every year and we plead out to the public for somebody, anybody that knows anything, even the littlest information can break this case,” Annette said.
Cards featuring pictures of Charles Durden and Larry are in the new Cold Case Deck, and 5,000 will be sent to jails and prisons across the state.
The hope is that inmates will play with the cards and someone will talk.
Also featured in the deck is Mary Louise Perkins, who was found stabbed in the Murray Hill area of Jacksonville in 2007. Her body had been left for several days before it was discovered.
Investigators said showcasing her story this way could lead to crucial information that could crack the case wide open.
Tips that lead to an arrest are eligible for a cash reward of up to $9,500, and tipsters can remain anonymous.
To see the full deck, including four more local cases, click here.