DES MOINES, Iowa – More help is coming to try and solve Iowa’s catalog of cold cases.

“This unique playing card deck shines a light on 52 of Iowa’s unsolved cases,” said Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird.

During a news conference Wednesday afternoon, Bird announced the state’s new cold case unit will be issuing a special deck of playing cards that will highlight 52 different unsolved Iowa cases. The cards range from homicide victims to people missing under mysterious circumstances to unidentified remains, and will be distributed to inmates at the state’s correctional facilities in the hopes of getting people talking.

“We want to start a conversation. We want to spark a memory,” said Bird. “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.”

It is an effort that has been successful in other states, like Florida. The move comes less than a year after lawmakers allocated more than $500,000 to create a statewide Cold Case Unit.

A dedicated statewide tipline has also been established. Anyone who might have information on one of Iowa’s hundreds of unsolved cases can call 1-800-242-5100 to divulge the details.

“For many families, they had no chance to say goodbye,” Bird said. “There was no final hug. Just years and sometimes even decades of silence, and that’s a reality that too many Iowa families have had to face.”

A Cold Case Playing Card Committee was reportedly created for the project, which included input from the Iowa State Sheriffs and Deputies Association, the Police Chiefs Association, the Iowa Department of Public Safety, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Iowa Department of Corrections, the Iowa County Attorney’s Association, IowaColdCases.org creator Jody Ewing and the Iowa Attorney General’s Office.

“There are family members of several of these cold cases here today,” said lead Cold Case Unit Investigator Steve Ponsetto. “Their attendance sends us all a message: Hope cannot be forgotten.”

During the announcement, Bird was flanked by law enforcement, and friends and families of victims, including those of late metro residents Ruthie Kingery-Pohlmeier, Bill and Kay Wood, and Ashley Okland.

“My Aunt, Ruthie, was a kind-hearted, fun-loving, and she had the best sense of humor and always made us laugh,” remembered Kingery-Pohlmeier’s niece, Haley Elliot.

“Hope. A feeling we are all feeling today,” said the Wood’s granddaughter, Brandy Weber. “Hope that getting fresh, new eyes on our cases is just what they need. Hope that more people will come forward with more information they have. And in the future, we will have justice for William and Grandma.”

“We’re really excited about what this opportunity presents for not only our family but for all of the other victim families that are here with us today,” said Josh Oakland, brother of Ashley Oakland.

Josh Oakland spoke to WHO-13’s Katie Kaplan last year on the 13th anniversary of her death, and after West Des Moines Police confirmed the case was still active.

There are four AG investigators and one assistant AG Prosecutor who make up the new cold case unit, who Bird promised would leave no stone unturned.