Cryptanalysts: Help Solve an Open Murder Case

**Dolores** · 06-18-2011, 03:18 AM

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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**ppu6502** · 06-18-2011, 03:27 AM

I wouldn't be surprised if this is a recruitment effort above all else

**Traverser** · 06-18-2011, 08:09 AM

Decrypt the code, for free? And possibly draw unwanted attention from the authorities?

I DON'T THINK SO

**SShack** · 06-18-2011, 08:54 AM

We had a thread for this back when the call first came out. I'm assuming it hasn't been solved yet?

**datagirl** · 06-18-2011, 09:11 AM


	“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.”

Apparently the murder victim had developed his own personal cipher and had a long history of writing encrypted messages to himself. Absolutely, no evidence that he knew his killer or that he left any clues in these notes.

**Crazyblue** · 06-20-2011, 05:12 PM

Perhaps I should carry around strings of gibberish on paper in my pockets on the off chance I get murdered.

**rbc** · 06-20-2011, 05:16 PM

	Originally Posted by Crazyblue To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	Perhaps I should carry around strings of gibberish on paper in my pockets on the off chance I get murdered.

If you desperately want your 15 minutes of fame, and do not mind them being posthumous, then go ahead -- it seems to have worked for this guy!

**Shadizar** · 06-20-2011, 05:17 PM

There is always the option that it wasn't a code at all. He could have just had a habit of taking notes in gibberish, but when he saw the gibberish again, he could remember what he was thinking when he wrote it. Kind of like abstract art, only the artist knows the meaning - if any - of his paintings, and the rest of us can only speculate.

**Crazyblue** · 06-20-2011, 05:39 PM

	Originally Posted by rbc To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	If you desperately want your 15 minutes of fame, and do not mind them being posthumous, then go ahead -- it seems to have worked for this guy!

Sweet
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I'm honestly a little annoyed at the waste of man hours(I'm assuming here) for something that has virtually no chance to pay off. Real life is not like a video game. Not everything is a puzzle that will be solved, not every toggle has to be flipped.

Eridal · 06-20-2011, 05:41 PM

I got bored one day and started trying to translate some of it. Assuming I was right it looked like an ordinary freaking list nothing that would help them so I got bored again and quit
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**mieu** · 06-21-2011, 04:45 AM

Medication and symptom log.

06-18-2011, 03:27 AM	#2
ppu6502 Special Snowflake MBTI: INTj Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 11,506	I wouldn't be surprised if this is a recruitment effort above all else
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06-18-2011, 08:09 AM	#3
Traverser Veteran Member [53%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 2,145	Decrypt the code, for free? And possibly draw unwanted attention from the authorities? I DON'T THINK SO
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06-18-2011, 08:54 AM	#4
SShack Core Member [111%] MBTI: ENTP Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 4,442	We had a thread for this back when the call first came out. I'm assuming it hasn't been solved yet?
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06-20-2011, 05:12 PM	#6
Crazyblue Member [33%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 1,339	Perhaps I should carry around strings of gibberish on paper in my pockets on the off chance I get murdered.
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06-20-2011, 05:17 PM	#8
Shadizar Core Member [171%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 6,865	There is always the option that it wasn't a code at all. He could have just had a habit of taking notes in gibberish, but when he saw the gibberish again, he could remember what he was thinking when he wrote it. Kind of like abstract art, only the artist knows the meaning - if any - of his paintings, and the rest of us can only speculate.
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06-20-2011, 05:41 PM	#10
Eridal Veteran Member [56%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 2,242	I got bored one day and started trying to translate some of it. Assuming I was right it looked like an ordinary freaking list nothing that would help them so I got bored again and quit To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
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06-21-2011, 04:45 AM	#11
mieu Core Member [183%] $/)^3^(\$ MBTI: xNTx Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 7,340	Medication and symptom log.
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