Rocky Hill — The latest deck of “Connecticut Cold Case” playing cards unveiled Tuesday features four unsolved homicides from New London County.

The cards are the latest in a series developed as a way to generate tips from prison inmates who can purchase the cards at prison commissaries. They include photos of the victims, information about their deaths and contact information for cold case investigators.

Chief State’s Attorney Kevin Kane said his hope is the cards generate talk among inmates who may have overheard something about a case and decide to bring that information forward, possibly for their own benefit.

Kane highlighted several of the cases, including the ace of hearts, with a photo of 18-year-old Rhonda Johnson. Her body was found in her car with her 6-month-old child on Grenhart Road in Stamford in 1996. Both were shot to death.

“They all left behind families,” Kane said of the victims featured in the cards.

“We owe it to these families … to these people, to do our best to solve these crimes and bring the perpetrators to justice,” he said.

Kane revealed the cards Tuesday during a press conference at the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney attended by cold case investigators and representatives from the Department of Correction.

Among the victims included in the deck of cards are Christopher “Schmell” Schmeller, whose body was found in Waterford on Oct. 8, 2002; Jason Kelly, 28, who was shot to death in New London on Aug. 20, 2011; Kyle Seidel, who was found shot to death in Waterford on Dec. 21, 2012; and Jaclyn “Jackie” Wirth, 26, who was shot at her home in Norwich on Dec. 14, 2011.

It is the third such deck created for the Department of Correction with cases chosen by cold case investigators across the state from among the estimated 1,100 unsolved homicides in Connecticut.

The last two decks led to more than 470 tips that resulted directly or indirectly to solving nine homicides, Kane said. Among the solved cases was the slaying of 29-year-old Tynell Hardwick, who was shot outside Rumors Bar & Grill on Boswell Avenue in Norwich in 2008. Norwich police arrested John “Kool-Aid” Ramos in 2012 in that case, which is pending in New London Superior Court.

More than 48,000 decks of cards have been distributed to inmates since the first deck was created in 2010, said Monica Rinaldi, deputy commissioner of the state Department of Correction.

“It is all about the victims and their families,” interim Correction Commissioner Scott Semple said in a statement. “The faces on these cards are someone’s mother, father, sister, brother, wife, husband or child. Any tip, or lead, might be the missing piece to solving a case and bringing resolution to a victim’s loved ones.”

g.smith@theday.com

Twitter: @SmittyDay

More information

Cards can be viewed at: ct.gov.doc.

Information or tips may be submitted at 1-866-623-8058, cold.case@ct.gov or P.O. Box 962, Rocky Hill, CT 06067.