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The meanings of the coded notes (above and below) remain a mystery to this day. | View larger versions (right
click and save the files to enlarge further).
CCrryyppttaannaallyyssttssPart 2: Help Solve an Open Murder Case
03/29/11
On June 30, 1999, sheriff’s officers in St. Louis, Missouri discovered the body of 41-year-old Ricky McCormick. He
had been murdered and dumped in a field. The only clues regarding the homicide were two encrypted notes found in
the victim’s pants pockets.
Despite extensive work by our Cryptanalysis and Racketeering Records Unit (CRRU), as well as help from
the American Cryptogram Association, the meanings of those two coded notes remain a mystery to this day,
and Ricky McCormick’s murderer has yet to face justice.
“We are really good at what we do,” said CRRU chief Dan Olson, “but we could use some help with this one.”
In fact, Ricky McCormick’s encrypted notes are one of CRRU’s top unsolved cases. “Breaking the code,” said Olson,
“could reveal the victim’s whereabouts before his death and could lead to the solution of a homicide. Not every cipher
we get arrives at our door under those circumstances.”
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Breaking any code involves
four basic steps:
1. determining the language used;
2. determining the system used;
3. reconstructing the key; and
4. reconstructing the plaintext.
Consider this cipher: Nffu nf bu uif qbsl bu
oppo.
Now apply the four steps:
1. Determining the language allows you to
compare the cipher text to the suspected
language. Our cryptanalysts usually start
with English.
2. Determining the system: Is this cipher
using rearranged words, replaced words,
or perhaps letter substitution? In this
case, it’s letter substitution.
To move the case forward, examiners need another sample of murder-victim Ricky McCormick’s coded
system—or a similar one—that might offer context to the mystery notes or allow comparisons to be made.
The more than 30 lines of coded material use a maddening variety of letters, numbers, dashes, and
parentheses. McCormick was a high school dropout, but he was able to read and write and was said to be “street
smart.” According to members of his family, McCormick had used such encrypted notes since he was a boy, but
apparently no one in his family knows how to decipher the codes, and it’s unknown whether anyone besides
McCormick could translate his secret language. Investigators believe the notes in McCormick’s pockets were written
up to three days before his death.
Over the years, a number of CRRU’s examiners—who are experts at
breaking codes—have puzzled over the McCormick notes and applied a
variety of analytical techniques to tease out an answer. “Standard routes
of cryptanalysis seem to have hit brick walls,” Olson noted. Our
cryptanalysts have several plausible theories about the notes, but so far,
there has been no solution.
To move the case forward, examiners need another sample of
McCormick’s coded system—or a similar one—that might offer context to
the mystery notes or allow valuable comparisons to be made. Or, short of
new evidence, Olson said, “Maybe someone with a fresh set of eyes might
come up with a brilliant new idea.”
That’s where the public comes in. The FBI has always relied on tips and
other assistance from the public to solve crimes, and although breaking a
code may represent a special circumstance, your help could aid the
investigation. Take a look at McCormick’s two notes. If you have an idea
how to break the code, have seen similar codes, or have any information
about the Ricky McCormick case, write to CRRU at the following address:
FBI Laboratory
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3. Reconstructing the key: This step
answers the question of how the code
maker changed the letters. In our example,
every character shifted one letter to the
right in the alphabet.
4. Reconstructing the plaintext: By
applying the key from the previous step,
you now have a solution: Meet me at the
park at noon.
Cryptanalysis and Racketeering Records Unit
2501 Investigation Parkway
Quantico, VA 22135
Attn: Ricky McCormick Case
There is no reward being offered, just a challenge—and the satisfaction of
knowing that your brain power might help bring a killer to justice.
“Even if we found out that he was writing a grocery list or a love letter,”
Olson said, “we would still want to see how the code is solved. This is a
cipher system we know nothing about.”
Part 1: Breaking Codes to Stop Crime
Resources
- More about the Cryptanalysis and Racketeering Records Unit
- Try your hand at code breaking