FBI wants public help solving encrypted notes from murder mystery

[Joe Snodgrass]

FBI cryptanalysis hasn’t decrypted notes from 1999 murder mystery

http://tinyurl.com/4d56zsz

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.

The FBI says that despite extensive work by its Cryptanalysis and
Racketeering Records Unit (CRRU), and the American Cryptogram
Association, the meanings of those two coded notes remain a mystery
and McCormick's murderer has never been found. One has to wonder
though, if the FBI can't figure this out, who can? But I digress.

>From the FBI: "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."

"Standard routes of cryptanalysis seem to have hit brick walls," said
CRRU chief Dan Olson in a statement. 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."

The FBI says it has always relied on public tips and other assistance
to solve crimes though breaking a code may represent a special
circumstance.

For larger images of the notes go here. [LINK]

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
Cryptanalysis and Racketeering Records Unit
2501 Investigation Parkway
Quantico, VA 22135
Attn: Ricky McCormick Case

There is no reward being offered, just the knowledge that you may be
solving an intriguing murder mystery, the FBI stated.