I found this story on Network World, a site that does not usually devil in crime and mysteries, rather it explores the world of bits and bytes as they relate to the digital world that we live in. Although some might argue that there are many crimes and mysteries within the digital world.
This article however caught my attention. In summary the article says – The FBI is seeking the public’s help in breaking the encrypted code found in two notes discovered on the body of a murdered man in 1999.
The FBI says that officers in St. Louis, Missouri discovered the body of 41-year-old Ricky McCormick on June 30, 1999 in a field and the clues regarding the homicide were two encrypted notes found in the victim’s pants pockets.
Here are the two notes.
What do they mean? Ricky McCormick did not have a great education, and he certainly was not employed by the NSA as a cryptographer. It is likely a simple code, but to date it has baffled everyone.
What is the significance of the parentheses? I looked at the notes for 10 seconds, and those parens reminded me of the syntax used in constructing a computer program.
The cipher itself is something more complex than mere letter substitution. Yet just on the basis of the notes being handwritten seems to rule out the use of some complex computer key cipher system.
I wonder if the key is a document that he knew by heart? Could the opening parenthesis represent the paragraph or page to start at? Each new ( would indicate that you should move to the next paragraph. Using this scheme you could create a simple, yet almost impossible code to crack. Merely use the letter to the left or right as the one you write down in your coded note. But this code strategy does not fit these notes. What is the significance of the numbers?
I love a great puzzle, and this is one of them.
Does anyone have some ideas?
Simon Barrett
11 users commented in " When Cipher Meets Crime – Sleuth Needed! "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackIn the first few minutes I noticed a number which closely resembled an IP address. Then some of the other letter combinations turned out to be related to computerese (if this is a word, I do not know). Another thing I noticed was the lack of punctuation and what was there seemed to be very intended. I have also found references associated with the scientific world. There is great possibility that each letter stands for a word.
I went looking for more info on this guy, seems a little interesting that if you are trying to solve a puzzle you might want as much info as possible and you know that the govt has much more than he died with 2 pieces of paper in his pocket. It took me a while, but here’s a little more:
From the St Louis Post Dispatch, early July 99
He was found in a cornfield off Hwy 367 west of West Alton by a woman around noon. He had “addresses” in St Louis, Belleville, and Fairview Heights. Seems a little interesting that this individual has 3 residences within 20 miles of each other. 2 or them are within 10 miles of each other on the IL side. That’s about all I found out.
Aside from the parentheticals, what I find interesting is the single ‘ in the entire thing. “(194 WLD’S NCBE).” Is that a contraction, a possessive? One would assume it’s not a possessive, otherwise “S” would be true. “WLD” appears together multiple times, as does “NCBE” and combinations like “SE’ and “NE.” Could letters be used as punctuation, or vice versa?
Just out loud thoughts
Does anyone know if Ricky was into gambling or collecting bets?????
It is an enigma, and one that has a simple solution, but the key, is finding the key.
Obviously a starting point would be Ricky himself. What did he like, what did he dislike?
I’m thinking maybe a comination of a style of shorthand and regular letters.
Ricky had heart and lung problems and was last seen alive at Forest Park Hospital.
He also did time for statutory rape…
If these applied to me I’d consider them significant and possibly write about them. But was this significant to ricky?
RSE- Responsabilite societale des Enterprises
(The responsibility of the Enterprises?)
TFRN-Task Force on Reactive Nitrogen
NCBE- National Conference on Biotechnolgy and the Environment
WLD-possiblely abbreviation for world
ENP-Experimental Nuclear Physics Group
It appears Ricky may have had an interest in Science and may have been quoting from an article he read?
You I found some of those relationships too. I thought maybe Ricky could be getting information from a scientist and that is why his life was cut short.
WLD can stand for Wire Line Dressing. It could be that this little note in his pocket is nothing more than his own way of remembering things.
Could be that Ricky used a lot oc acronyms.
NCBE- National Center for Biotechnology Education
WLD- Weapons linked to devolopement.
Because Ricky had problems with the law I would beleive it to be more along the lines of gambling.
NCBE- National Conference Bar Examiners
WLD- Win,Lose,Draw.
Maybe the gambling boss was an attorney he came in contact with.
Seems most groups end with an E. Probably 2 differnt styles. Acronyms and some other style mixed. Would need more pages to completely crack the code.
Hello from Spain:
– In my humble opinion based on Edgar Allan Poe´s short story “the gold bug”.
+ First we must look for the signature where habitually someone puts the signature as the caracther of William Legrand did whith the note of captain Kidd.
– Look the last word of the last line of the 2nd note:
“XORLX” a letter repeats itself; and remember “Mccormick”, a letter repeats itself too.
– If “X”= variations of the letter “C” (like this MC, C and CK) something usually in Shorthand systems.
– if “O”=”O”
– if “R”=”R”
– if “L”=M, he uses the code Cesar b or +1
– if we add the vowel (i) as transcript shorthand solution.
Then “XORLX” is possibly “MCCORM(i)CK”.
+ If we apply this knowledge to the last line of the second note this it must mean:
“O-W-m-4 H8L XORLX” is “OWN-for I AM Mccormick”.
“O-W”= OW
“-m” = N, he uses the code cesar +1
-4= four= for (phonetic solution) and the hyphen join the letters and words.
“H”= I, he uses the code cesar +1.
8= eit (phonetic)= ei (phonetic a)= A.
“L”= M, he uses the code cesar +1.
… and the hyphen join the letters in a word.
etc… the 2nd note seems a testament or last will.
… But if you think “4” is not “4” but “Y” and/or “8” is not “8” but “i”, then:
Y= wai= WHY or WAY by similar sound solution.
i= ai= letter “A” by graphic phonetic transcript.
So “O-W-m-Y HIL XORLX”= OWN-WHY? I AM MCCORMICK
bye fro Spain.
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