Deck of cards deals hope to mother about daughter's unsolved murder

by Sara Sheffield, KY3 News

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By Gene Hartley

HOLLISTER, Mo. -- The Missouri State Highway Patrol hopes to use a novel crime-fighting tool to solve 52 mysteries. One of those is the unsolved murder of a teenage mother.

Some people might remember a deck of cards that the U.S. military developed to help troops identify Iraq's most-wanted members of Saddam Hussein's government and military. Soon, right here in the Ozarks, you'll see the same idea used for 52 cold cases.

"Somebody knows something, but nobody talks," said Susan Sutton.

The murder case of Sutton’s daughter has been cold for five years. Becky Sutton disappeared from her home here in 2003. She was 19 years old. Her body eventually turned up in the Mark Twain National Forest.

"I want more people to know,” said Sutton.

Susan Sutton says she doesn't know any more about her daughter's case today than she did the day it happened. What's worse, she's afraid that the public doesn't know anything about Becky either.

"Nowadays, anybody says Rebecca Sutton and nobody knows who Rebecca is, nobody knew there was a girl missing out of Hollister,” said the mother.

Normally when a person disappears, the most publicity it gets is a poster that you might see at a grocery store or a bank. Soon, a deck of cards will be in the hands of thousands of people, bringing new attention to cases like Becky's that have long been cold.

It's a concept that seems to be working in Florida. Decks of cards featuring missing person cases and unsolved homicides were sent to prison inmates and, within a year, at least six cases were solved. Another six are tied up in court and could be solved soon.

"Somebody is still out there walking around that's done something,” said Sutton.

She hopes the cards featuring Missouri's missing persons and unsolved homicides will bring the answers for which she's been waiting.

“Solve my case, somebody solve my case, and let me rest for a while,” she said.

The cards will go to all state prison inmates, along with law enforcement officers and reporters. They will feature people from all over Missouri.

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