# FBI needs YOU: The McCormick Case
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-needs-you-the-mccormick-case/576552
**Category:** The Game Room
**Created:** [March 30, 2011, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-needs-you-the-mccormick-case/576552 "2011-03-30T20:09:58Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@summerjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/summerjack)
#### Post date: [March 30, 2011, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-needs-you-the-mccormick-case/576552/1 "2011-03-30T20:09:58Z")
Anyone see this?
[http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2011/march/cryptanalysis\_032911/cryptanalysis\_032911](http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2011/march/cryptanalysis_032911/cryptanalysis_032911)
Seems the FBI needs some help solving a decade old cold murder case. These notes were found in the pocket of the deceased.
After a cursory review it seems to me the code is in an english-based, gibberish language (like pig-latin) not necessarily your standard, letter substitution code.
I haven’t gotten around to putting them in a word document yet, but that would be a logical first step. Anyone out there got any good ideas?
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### Author:  [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)
#### Post date: [March 30, 2011, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-needs-you-the-mccormick-case/576552/2 "2011-03-30T20:47:54Z")
In text, from Wikipedia:
> [@](#):
>
> Note 1 text:
> (MND NXNE A RSE-N-SPA UN ARE) (ALFMN)
> TFRNE N8TNSE NPBSE RCBBNSE NPRSE INC
> PRSE NMRSE 8PRE-WLD ENLDUCBE (TFXLF TCXLN CBE)
> AL-PRPPIT XLY PPIY NCBE MGKSE WLD RCBE NSE PRSE
> WLD RCB RNSE N T SGNENTRSE - CRSLE - CTTRSE WLD NCBE
> AL WLD NCRETEME LRSE RLSE-R GLSNE AS N WLD NCBE
> (NDPFSE NLSRE NCDG) NTE GDDMNSEN CUREREBRNE
> (TENE TFRNE NCRQ TSE NCBE ING)
> (FIRSE PASE ONDE 71 NCBE)
> (CDNSE PRSE ONSE 74 NCBE)
> (PRTSG TRSE ON REDE 75 NCBE)
> (TF NACMSP SOLE MRDE LUSE TOTE WLD. WLD NCBE)
> (194 WLD’s NCBE) (TRFXL) Note 2 text:
> ALPNTE GLSE-SE ERTE
> YLSE MTSE-CSTE-WSE-FRTSE
> PURTRSE ONDRSE WLD NCBE
> N WLD XLR CMS? NE WLD STS ME XL
>
> DULMT 6 TUNSE NCBEXC
>
> (MuNSA I STENMU NARSE)
> KLSE-LRSTE-TR SE-TRSE-MKSE N-MRSE
> (FREENSE SE N MRSE)
>
> NMN RCBX NSE PTE 2 PTE WSRC BREXE
> 36 MLSE 74 SPRKSE 29 KENOS OLE + 73 RTRSE
> 35 SLE CLGSE OUNNTXF DKRSE PSESHLE
> 651 MTCSE HTLSE N CU TC TRS NMRE
> 99.84.8 2 UNE PLSE VCRSE AOLTSE NSKSE N SE
>
> NSRE ONSB PUT SE WLD NCBE (3 XARL)
> ?NTOSE NRSE I N 2 N TRLERCB ANSE NTSRCR O NE
> ASPUSE N G-SPSE MSKE R 8 SE NEBE AU XL R
> HM CRENMRE ECBE 1/2 MUNDDLSE
>
> D-W\_M-Y MIL XDRLX
the FBI has given us very little to go on. Aggravating. This is not a technical code, it is necessary to get into the guy’s head. It’s more of a profiling job, than a crypto. What age did it start? What shows/characters did he like? What languages was he exposed to?
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### Author:  [@summerjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/summerjack)
#### Post date: [March 30, 2011, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-needs-you-the-mccormick-case/576552/3 "2011-03-30T21:00:43Z")
Thanks for that! I see a couple potential typos, will check it in full this evening.
Agreed, need more info about the creator. His family doesn’t even know the code!
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### Author:  [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)
#### Post date: [March 30, 2011, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-needs-you-the-mccormick-case/576552/4 "2011-03-30T21:01:10Z")
This almost seems like a kind of personal shorthand to me. Sort of like license plates, you know? Maybe mixed with some spelling errors of normal words. For example:
WLD RCB RNSE N T SGNENTRSE - CRSLE - CTTRSE WLD NCBE
CRSLE jumped out at me. To me, that says “seriously”. So this sentence could be something like:
wld - world/wild
rcb - receive?
rnse - ???
n - in
t - it/the
sgnentrse - ??signatures??
crsle - seriously
cttrse - ???
wld = world/wild
ncbe - ???
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### Author:  [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)
#### Post date: [March 30, 2011, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-needs-you-the-mccormick-case/576552/5 "2011-03-30T21:02:54Z")
D-o-n-t
f-o-r-g-e-t
t-o
d-r-i-n-k
y-o-u-r
o-v-a-l-t-i-n-e?
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### Author:  [@summerjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/summerjack)
#### Post date: [March 30, 2011, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-needs-you-the-mccormick-case/576552/6 "2011-03-30T21:04:13Z")
My thought is that the E’s at the end of the words generally aren’t part of the actual word, just indicative of the end of a word, like the suffix in pig latin.
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### Author:  [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)
#### Post date: [March 30, 2011, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-needs-you-the-mccormick-case/576552/7 "2011-03-30T21:05:38Z")
(FIRSE PASE ONDE 71 NCBE)
(CDNSE PRSE ONSE 74 NCBE)
If you look at these lines I think what I was talking about was a little more clear.
Firse = first.
Cndse = second.
Apparently “pase onde” likely means the same as “prse onse”. (passes on?)
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### Author:  [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)
#### Post date: [March 30, 2011, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-needs-you-the-mccormick-case/576552/8 "2011-03-30T21:06:57Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#):
>
> D-o-n-t
> f-o-r-g-e-t
> t-o
> d-r-i-n-k
> y-o-u-r
> o-v-a-l-t-i-n-e?
Ovaltine?
A crummy commercial?
Son of a bitch!
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### Author:  [@summerjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/summerjack)
#### Post date: [March 30, 2011, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-needs-you-the-mccormick-case/576552/9 "2011-03-30T21:12:02Z")
Those three phrases break down further:
FIRSE PRSE “ON DE” 71 NCBE
CDNSE PRSE “ON S DE” 74 NCBE
PQTSE PRSE “ON RE DE” 75 NCBE
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### Author:  [@QueenRamsey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QueenRamsey)
#### Post date: [March 30, 2011, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-needs-you-the-mccormick-case/576552/10 "2011-03-30T22:45:20Z")
99.84.8 2 UNE PLSE
I looked this up and it came to a number of French Sites, one of which listed the smallpox vaccine. Not sure if it has anything to do with it or not.
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### Author:  [@car3825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/car3825)
#### Post date: [March 30, 2011, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-needs-you-the-mccormick-case/576552/11 "2011-03-30T22:51:36Z")
FLRSEPRSEONDE (13 letters) 71 NCBE
CDNSEPRSEONSEE (14 letters) 74 NCBE
PRTSEPRSEONREDE (15 letters) 75 NCBE
adding the 13 plus the 71 … 84?
88?
90?
Funny how we are all working the same part of this???
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### Author:  [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)
#### Post date: [March 31, 2011, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-needs-you-the-mccormick-case/576552/12 "2011-03-31T00:30:10Z")
> [@fluiddruid](#):
>
> wld - world/wild
> rcb - receive?
> rnse - ???
> n - in
> t - it/the
> sgnentrse - ??signatures??
> crsle - seriously
> cttrse - ???
> wld = world/wild
> ncbe - ???
WLD is more likely “would” not world or wild.
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### Author:  [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)
#### Post date: [March 31, 2011, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-needs-you-the-mccormick-case/576552/13 "2011-03-31T02:09:23Z")
Ahhh, Haha I got it, It’s so obvious now.
I gotta go to bed now, but I’ll just jot ta reminder down in the margin of this notebook.
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### Author:  [@neicey38](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neicey38)
#### Post date: [March 31, 2011, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-needs-you-the-mccormick-case/576552/14 "2011-03-31T03:03:26Z")
when I looked up 99. 84. 8 2 it came up mason county washington code of ordinances title 8 enviromental policy sepa & agency decisions ? I think we are missing alot of information about ricky mccormick , would be nice to know where he worked , where he was born ya know
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### Author:  [@justbeingme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justbeingme)
#### Post date: [March 31, 2011, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-needs-you-the-mccormick-case/576552/15 "2011-03-31T03:04:30Z")
[quote=“TruCelt, post:2, topic:576552”]
In text, from Wikipedia:
I see several characters different. Interesting how different people see different things.
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### Author:  [@justbeingme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justbeingme)
#### Post date: [March 31, 2011, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-needs-you-the-mccormick-case/576552/16 "2011-03-31T03:07:58Z")
Remember, you have to think as though you are living in 1999. Think of just the things that existed in that time period.
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### Author:  [@FranklinPattison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FranklinPattison)
#### Post date: [March 31, 2011, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-needs-you-the-mccormick-case/576552/17 "2011-03-31T04:36:38Z")
Have we confirmed that this is indeed his own handwritting?
PRSE
LSE
WLD
NCBE
Are used over and over again.
No letter in English utilizes an accento like above the N on the second line. I am thinking he is vacilating back and forth between his own version of Spanish and English shorthand with all of the PRSE and LSE language. On another note the NCBE could be New City Block and the E is a wasted letter like someone else said. I think the WLDNCB meens would not call back. The second line from the bottom on page one is instructions for him from someone else that he could be murdered and that his contact would not call back. The TRFXL7 seems like a plate. The FBI could not be so stupid as to not follow it so that has to have been tried already.
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### Author:  [@xxspudsmomxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xxspudsmomxx)
#### Post date: [March 31, 2011, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-needs-you-the-mccormick-case/576552/18 "2011-03-31T06:30:04Z")
651 MTCSE HTLSE N CU TC TRS NMRE
651 MTCSE - 651 Mitshbishi
HTLSE N C - Hot license
HTLSE N C - hustling
UTC TRS - UTC trains
NMORE - No more
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### Author:  [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)
#### Post date: [March 31, 2011, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-needs-you-the-mccormick-case/576552/19 "2011-03-31T09:41:13Z")
From what the web page says, the code seems very unlikely to be at all related to the murder. Sp this is really the FBI issuing a game challenge.
OTOH, if I solve it, maybe they’ll offer me a job.
I wonder if this was looked at by the NSA or CIA?
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### Author:  [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)
#### Post date: [March 31, 2011, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-needs-you-the-mccormick-case/576552/20 "2011-03-31T09:53:15Z")
Where’s **Biotop** when you need him?
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