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Families whose loved ones were killed in unsolved crimes or have disappeared without a trace gathered with Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird to announce a new playing card deck that will be given to inmates with the goal of gaining new information on their cases.
The deck of cards features 52 cold cases from across Iowa, including homicides, missing people, and unidentified remains, Bird said in a news conference at the Des Moines Police Department on April 16. Each card has an image of the victim and a description of how they died or the circumstances surrounding their disappearance.
The decks will be distributed to inmates in Iowa’s nine state correctional facilities.
“Our goal is simple,” said Bird, who in 2024 launched a unit dedicated to solving cold cases. “We want to start a conversation. We want to spark a memory. And someone might recognize a name, they might overhear or remember a conversation, or they might even feel that weight of a long-held secret that they never should have kept and it’s time now for the people with information or who might know something to come forward.”
Bird said the cards will give law enforcement another tool to help crack Iowa’s cold cases. Steve Ponsetto, head of the Iowa cold case unit, said other states like Connecticut have had similar cards for about a decade and attributed their use to solving 20 cases.
Bird has said there’s a cold case “in nearly every single county in Iowa.” Out of 400 cases, 100 are in Polk County.
The unit announced its first arrest in a cold case in March when Robert Davis was booked into jail on a charge of first-degree murder in the 1989 death of Barbara Lenz in western Iowa. He is awaiting trial.
A committee selected which cases would be featured on the cards. Bird did not rule out the possibility of creating another deck with different cases later.
“But to be clear, every single cold case in Iowa gets full attention from our cold case unit,” Bird said.
Bird said the cases continue to cast a shadow over Iowa communities and weigh heavily on the hearts of prosecutors and law enforcement across the state.
“Every name in this cold case playing card deck represents more than just an unsolved case,” Bird said. “Each card is a life, a story, and a family searching for answers. Our hope is that this new cold case card deck will help bring long-awaited answers to those families.”
Josh Okland, the brother ofAshley Oklandareal estate agent who was killed in a model townhouse she was showing onApril 8, 2011, in West Des Moines, said he hopes the cards will spark new leads.
“I’m really excited about what this opportunity presents for not only our family but for all of the other families that are here with us today,” he said. “This new group is highly motivated and we’re excited to see what they can get done.”
Haley Elliott, who is the niece of Ruthie Kingery-Pohlmeir, a woman whose body was found wrapped in a sheet outside of AMF Des Moines Lanes bowling alley in 2004, remembered her aunt as a selfless person.
Ponsetto, who also is a retired state trooper, said somebody knows something about each of the cold cases in Iowa.
“Together we can make a difference for those seeking answers,” Ponsetto said. “And together we can bring justice to those responsible. Everyone in this room is a partner. If you know something, say something.”
José Mendiola is a breaking news reporter for the Register. Reach him at jmendiola@dmreg.com or follow him on X @mendiola_news.
This story was updated to add a video.
