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GIRARD -- Every year since Sept. 14, 2005, Girard police check to see if new information has come to light in the deaths of Lena Cross, 22, and her two sons, Mason Cross, 5, and Christian Pizzulo, 1.
The family lived at a home on Dearborn Street.
The boys, who were upstairs sound asleep, perished in a house fire set to cover up the stabbing of their mother on the home's first floor. The crime remains unsolved after several leads dried up and evidence could not be corroborated.
Police Chief John Norman said he reviews the Lena Cross case every year .
"It happened in 2005, and there are only a few of us still here in the police department who were here when it happened. Only three of us are left. We have a young department, some of whom were very young when this happened," Norman said.
Norman, who was a detective at the time of the murders, said the case is still active.
He said it was later determined that Cross had been stabbed multiple times on the first floor of the home and the fire was deliberately set to cover up the crime. The boys died from smoke inhalation while sleeping upstairs,
Norman said the fire left behind "little evidence, with no DNA and no fingerprints."
He said he spoke with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation last summer about getting the case on its cold-case website.
"I spoke with them about the case and what happened. They were planning to use the information and get it back out to the public," Norman said.
He said BCI has a website set up to post unsolved cases.
"We are always hopeful that when the story does come back to people's attention or is in the news again, someone may recall something that we can use," Norman said.
He said as with any case, the further back it happened, the harder it becomes to solve.
"I have gone through all the open cases each year to see if there is any additional information. See if anything may have been missed. We are always hopeful something new will be learned," Norman said.
Norman said the case is still active, and he welcomes any input or leads from the public.
Warren resident Ken MacPherson's late wife, Cindy Michael, each year helped organize and host a back-to-school event in Girard funded by the foundation she started in the name of the three victims - the Lena Mason Christian Foundation.
He said the event and others have allowed Lena, Mason and Christian not to be forgotten.
Michael was the grandmother of Christian. She died of cancer in 2018 at age 56.
Michael wanted to create something positive from the tragedy by creating The Lena Mason Christian Memorial Fund. The charity has been performing a "Kids Free Fun Day and Book Bag Giveaway" every August since 2006.
Funds for the annual back-to-school giveaway are generated by a Super Bowl weekend spaghetti dinner and other fundraisers. The foundation also buys and donates Christmas gifts for needy children in Girard, which are distributed at an annual holiday dinner.
MacPherson said the annual book bag giveaway is set for July 27 in Girard.
"It is always nice to see the smiles on the children's faces," he said, noting the goal is to have some good come from the tragedy.
"They were all taken from us at a young age. It was a terrible event," he said.
"I understand the police have other unsolved cases, so it has been appreciated all they have done to keep checking on this" he said, noting the murder has been a complex case.
Have an interesting story? Email Bob Coupland at bcoupland@tribtoday.com