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Playing cards featuring cold cases being distributed in Idaho prisons and jails

2,197 views · Published 13 January 2016 · 2:54 · Indexed 26 October 2026

Channel: East Idaho News · 2016 · News & Politics

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IDAHO FALLS -- Stephanie Eldridge was a caring mother of four children who suddenly vanished from her apartment on Holbrook Drive on Aug. 20, 2007.

Eldridge's baby, cell phone, car keys, purse and shoes were left behind and police believed foul play was involved.

Three years later, on Apr. 23, 2010, Stephanie’s remains were found in a shallow grave in the foothills east of Idaho Falls.

"Her remains were so depleted that they couldn’t gather enough forensic evidence to actually determine even the cause of death much less the identity of the people responsible," Dale Burns, Eldridge's grandfather, said in an interview with EastIdahoNews.com.

Eldridge’s family thinks about her constantly and now they’re hoping a new product will help find Stephanie's killer.

It's a deck of playing cards featuring cold cases in Idaho.  On each card is printed a different unsolved homicide, missing person, unidentified remains or a wanted criminal.

Crystal Douglas, the founder of East Idaho Cold Cases, came up with the idea after learning cold case playing cards were being distributed among inmates in other states.  

"The hope is to elicit new tips from the inmate population," Douglas said.  "We know inmates like to talk about each others crimes - sometimes brag about each others crimes - and they pass the day playing cards."

Douglas spent $2000 of her own money to pay for the cards.  The Department of Corrections contributed around $5000.  Every state prison will distribute the decks and Douglas it working with individual county jails for distribution.

"There’s a lot of chatter that comes from the prison system," Burns said.  "If anybody would know who committed crimes, it would probably be the inmates.  To have something like this handed out in the prison system - it’s a win-win situation."

Douglas plans to distribute decks to families of victims featured on the cards.  She anticipates another edition featuring more cold cases in the near future.  

Visit EastIdahoNews.com for more information the cold case cards.

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