By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo, Naugatuck Valley Bureau Chief
mtuccitto@nhregister.com

Prison inmates will soon be playing cards with decks that contain photographs and descriptions of cold cases on them — and law enforcement officials hope convicts will come forward with information that will get the cases solved.

The jack of spades, for instance, features William Smolinski Jr., 31, a Waterbury resident who disappeared Aug. 24, 2004. Police believe he was murdered.

The five of hearts shows Lisa Calvo, who was 40 and homeless when she was reported missing to the New Haven Police Department in October 2005.

The two of clubs has the smiling face of Alexandra Ducsay, who was 26 when she was stabbed to death while home alone in Milford in May 2006.

The six of hearts shows Gladys Punch, 72, and Warren Tarkington, 75, who were shot in St. Lawrence Cemetery in West Haven in September 1994.

The Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice, in partnership with the state Department of Correction and law enforcement agencies statewide, created the cold case deck.

The 52 cards highlight unsolved homicides, missing persons and unidentified remains cases from around the state, including several from Greater New Haven. According to the Department of Correction, every tip has the potential to bring police a step closer to getting justice for victims and closure for their relatives.

Janice Smolinski of Cheshire, whose son, Billy, is the jack of spades, attended a press conference on the program Monday. Families of people on the cards made an emotional plea for information from the prison population.

“I think there are four or five other states that are doing this, and the playing cards are helping to solve crimes,” she said. “When prisoners are playing cards, they tend to talk. There are so many unsolved homicides, and this at least is another avenue.”

Smolinski said families are in tremendous pain, waiting for answers about where their loved ones are or who is responsible for their murders. Continued...

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“These families are so sad, and if there is some hope an unsolved case will be solved, that is worth its weight in gold,” Smolinski said.

The cards give a phone number for tipsters to call, 866-623-8058, and many cards show if there is a reward for information in a case.

Chief State’s Attorney Kevin Kane estimated the state has had about 400 unsolved homicides since the late 1980s.

When choosing cases for the cards, officials tried to select a variety from all over the state, according to Kane.

“Somebody knows something about each one of these cases,” Kane said. “Maybe it is something they don’t even know is important, but it could lead to solving the case. We are hoping this generates information.”

State police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance said of the deck, “The state police are encouraged when any idea can help shed light on and bring any cold case to a conclusion. This is especially necessary for families and friends of victims.”

Department of Correction spokesman Brian Garnett said Monday the cards are being distributed to 17 facilities. More than 18,200 prisoners will be able to see the cards and potentially provide pertinent information, he said.

“We strongly believe there is information among the inmate population that would prove instrumental in solving some of these cases,” Garnett said. “The cards have worked in other jurisdictions, and we are optimistic we’ll have the same degree of success.”

It cost about $12,000 to create the decks, and Garnett said no taxpayer money was used. The project was funded from seized assets from criminal cases, according to Garnett.

To see the deck of cards, visit the Department of Correction at http://www.ct.gov/doc. Continued...

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Call Michelle Tuccitto Sullo at 203-789-5707.

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