FBI needs YOU: The McCormick Case

The Game Room
101

here is different transcription of notes:

NOTE 1(
MND nuNE??SE-?-Sm-?NA?E) ((ACSm)))
?TFRNEN’P?NSENPBSERCBBNSE NPRSE INC
PRSE N M?SE ?PRE HLD WLDNCBE(TFXLF TCXL N LBE)
AL-PRPPIT XLYPPIY NCBE MGKSEwCD RCBR NSE PRSE
WLDRCBRNSE NT ?6NENTXSE-CRSLE-CTTRSE WLD NCBE
ALNCP N CBETSME LISE RLSE URGLSN-EAS N WLD NCBE
(NOPFSE NLSRE NCBE) NTE GDDMNSENCURERC?RNE
(TENE TFRNE NCBRTSE NCBE INC)
(FIRSE PRSE ONDE71 NCBE)
(CDNSE PRSE ONS?E 74 NCBE)
(PRtSE PRSE ON REDE 75 NCBE)
(7F N6CMSP SOLE MRDE LUSE TOTE WLD N WLD NCBE)
(194 WLD’S NCBE) (7RFXL)

NOTE 2
("…" breaks between circled areas)
ALPNTE GLSE-SE ERTE
YLSE MTSE-CTSE-WSE-FRTSE
PURTRSE ONDRSE WLD NCBE
N WLD XLRCmSP NEWLD STS mE XL
DULMT6TUNSE NCBE XC
…
(MUNSAISTENmUNARSE)
KLSE-LKSTE-TR SE-TRSE-mKSE N-mRSE
(SAE6NSE SE N mRSE)
…
NAN ?CB? NSE PTE 2pTEWS RCB?EEE
?6 MLSE 74 SPRKSE 29KENO8, OLE 175RTRSE
85 6LE CLGSE ? UNUTXE?KRSE PSESHLE
651 MTLSE HTLSE N CUTCTRS NMRE
99.84.5 ZUNEPLSE N CRSE AOLTSENSRSEN?SE
NSIEONSE PUTSEWLDNCBE (3 X?RL)
…
?NmSE NRSE I NR N TRLERCB?NSG NTSRCR6NE
LSPNSE N GSPSE MKSE RBSENCEEAVXLR
HN CRCNmRENCBE 1/2mUNDPLSE
…
D-W-m?4 MIL XDRLX

and some conflicting observations about conditions—

  1. He was being transported (uneven text and corrections).
  2. He was being held and covertly making these notes without
    a stable writing surface.
  3. He was not under duress but writing from an uncomfortable
    position, possibly in a vehicle.

and some code observations—

  1. It is NOT constructed from a one-time of any type. His
    environment was too unstable.
  2. It is fluid code. Parentheticals may ring the changes.
  3. He was coding from memory, possibly a memorized verse or
    bit of poetry or series of well-remembered numbers.
  4. Under the conditions of being held or transported, and given
    the apparent complexity of coding, it is unlikely that any
    throwaways or dead-ends have been inserted.
  5. He may not have been under duress but was making a record
    of activities and observations which if discovered by his killers
    he could hopefully explain away; the need for throwaway
    phrases would have been minimal due to code density.

i seriously doubt it was accidental or suicide. the case is in racketeering unit. something they’re not telling us. style suggests to me he was a CI making notes on the sly.

102

well, whatever else people say abt his education, this guy was a friggin genius. half the world working on this and nobody breaks it.
:slight_smile:

103

Seems like hes talking about how the world is trying to crack his code but no system entry works
TFRNE NP/NSE- to find Rickys new exterminator not possible/ No system encodes phrases but search every random clue by bodys
(last few parts) (First person in 71 of bce)

104

The parentheses and lined-off sections could also indicate a psychological wish to contain or wall-off those thoughts. They could be things of which he is afraid, or ashamed. In the second note, they could indicate parts of his life which he is trying very hard to keep apart (one could be about a child, another about a drug dealer, that sort of thing.)

I wish I had more time to stare at this. And I wish I could ask some questions about the age at which he developed it, and what he was reading at the time. If he was seven, and a seven-year-old who read Chaucer, it would be much easier to know where to head.

105

Here is a link to the picture of the guy. Ted Williams like.

At first I thought they were meth chemicals and recipe as chemicals have the parentheses. So do medications. This guy had heart and lung problems. I think some of this could have been a previous posters suggestion it was a previous medical history short hand as he was last seen at his hospital check up.

The rest I think might be too simplistic for a complicated mind as cryptographers.

Rule 1, Is it a code or cipher?

I’ve only been to work on this paragraph.

ALPNTE GLSE - SE ERTE

VLSE MTSE-CTSE-WSE-FRTSE

PURTRSE ON PRSE WLD NCBE

N WLD XL RCMSP NEWLD STS ME XL

DU LMT 6 TUNSE NCBE XL

He seemed to not hide his spacing to much.

Characters per line
17
23
20
23
17
Total is 100, There are also 4 dashes, 4 nulls. 104 / 26 letters in alphabet = 4 alphabets
10x10, 4 5x5’s. I don’t think this guy would have read to deep into a cipher book.

However, I started making simple words out of what is here. He is a “street smart” high school drop out. When words didn’t make sense I found like terms in tramp slang from google books from late 1800’s to early 1900’s. This may be some gibberish, repetitive, rap lyrics he was hiding, but rap is how people envision themselves of what they do. To me it seems to make sense to where they found him. It is still a nutty theory and decode.

PLAN GET LESS TREE
LVES ME SET SECT SEW RF SET
PUR REST ON SPRE WLD BCN

translation:
Line 1: Plan to get less weed or Plan to get away from being up a tree from a dog and hunters.

Line 2: Loves me set(“Place where drugs are sold; Talwin and ritalin combination is injected and produces an effect similar to the effect of heroin mixed with cocaine.”) sect “group” sew “sewer- Vein into which a drug is injected” rf “rural friends” set(“Place where drugs are sold; Talwin and ritalin combination is injected and produces an effect similar to the effect of heroin mixed with cocaine.”)

Line 3: Public house rest on(tight, on the road, drunk), spree or supper (unrestrained drinking), Wild (village tramp town), bacon (to escape)

Line 4: undetermined

Line 5: undetermined

I think this guy recopied his medical history for his hospital check up. I’ve heard of people drifting off to drink like homeless people for a period. I think this guy decided to go to a rural camp where people gather to drink, do drugs, and maybe even eat wild pig. Someone might have given him the directions He might of hitchhiked a bit and the heat got to him with his medical history.

Look for arrested people from his living area, arrested later, equal distance on the other side of the body location.

On a side note, my dad lives by railroad tracks. One day he looked over the wall and there was a body. He fits the same MO. The cops said he was a drifter who dropped dead of natural causes. Black, 40-ish, mid summer, “habits”.

I would think it is the gibberish rap if it wasn’t for the numbers suggesting otherwise. Now I am seeing PLANET LEGS SEE TRE in the first line. Who knows, lol!

106

A few things jump out at me:

Numbers appear to be in plain text, indicated by their position and sequence:

71
74
75
194

Punctuation appears to be valid:

Parentheses are at the beginning and end of sentences.
Hyphens appear to be valid: -CRSLE-, KLSE-LKSTE-TR, etc. They do not appear randomly.
One apostrophe appears to be valid: 194 WLD’S NCBE

That S, by the way, also appears to be in plaintext. In other words, the “NCBE” of 194 WLD, whatever that is.

The one fraction also appears to be valid: 1/2 MUNDDLSE

The repetition of the same units over and over would appear to indicate either a shorthand/personal code or a straight 1-to-1 substitution.

The relative speed and sloppiness with which these things were written would tend to indicate that they were not meant for someone else. It would also tend to indicate that he was using a system he had MEMORIZED, not requiring any kind of code book. He had, after all, been using it for decades.

Just a general impression, but there seems to be something vaguely automotive about the notes.

107

The vertical line between the first and second line appears to indicate that the “first line” should be inserted, parenthetically, between the N and the P on the “second line.” Note that the 2nd thru 7th lines are flush left, whereas the 1st line is inset.

108

Not sure If I’m much help. I may not be great at breaking this code but I think that there are other sources or clues to look at. I noticed that in the letters there are “mistakes” where they write one letter, then change it. These mistakes I feel are important. I believe the examples start with Pg.1 line 1 9th figure. next would be Pg. 1 line 2 1st figure. They continue throughout. We all make mistakes in writing but these penned notes can’t be erased. Also I believe it would be helpful to contact the local library where Ricky Lived and discover if he had a library card. I will continue with research

109

As far as death, I searched the SSDI (social security death index) This recrod shows a MCCORMICK, RICHARD C DOB - 04 Jun 1957 Death - 02 May 1999 § 41 (72) (none specified) New York SS# 105-48-3715

Also I’m not sure if anyone noticed but the article stated these letters were found in his pockets. But the scans dont appear to show wrinkles or any signs of fray or damage. I think a check of the farmers almanac would be a good idea to see about possible weather damage or if it was a sunny day. What kinda of pages are these. They arent’ the standard 8.5x11 Also in regards to potential suicide letters my expierence in law enforcement shows that these letters are intended to be read, many times written under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

110

Hi everybody!

Fist of all, im a native Spanish speaker, and thus my English might not be correct.

My guess is that this notes are written in a mixed positional - shorthand code.

On the first note, on lines 1, 2, 4, 8 and 10, there are self-corrected characters. Looks like he is coding the notes applying a memorized pattern, and he made mistakes that he corrected by rewritting on top.

For example, on note “P1”, on the 10th line, he first wrote
“(CDNSE PRSE ONSTE 74 NCBE)”, and then changed to
“(CDNSE PRSE ONSDE 74 NCBE)”.

Maybe by recreating this mistakes, we could learn how some parts of the process are done.

Also, i think that “NCBE” might mean “PARK”.

Thus, on the last line of note “P1”,
(194 WLD’S NCBE) (TRFXL)
might mean "194 three-characters-something’S PARK, somewhere).

For example, 194 Rob’s Park, Texas. (Not a guess, just an example).

On line 8, he refers to NCBEING which might mean “PARKING”.

Just my two cents.

Cheers!

111

All transcriptions are seriously flawed. I have spent many hours reading old census records and other documents. This is my transcription of the first page. Note the many repetitions and indications of patterns:

TFRNE N (MND MKNE ARSE-N-S-M-KNARE) PTNSE NPRSE RCBBNSE NPRSE 1NC (ALSM)
PRSE N MRSE DPRE HLD WLD N CBE (TFXLF TCXL NCBE)
AL-PRPPIT XLYPPIY NCBE MGKSE WLD RCBRNSE PRSE
WLD RCBRNSE N T 06NENTKSE-CRSLE-CTTRSE WLDNCBE
AL WLDNCBE TSME LRSE RLSE UR GLSNE AS N WLD N CBE
(NDPFSE NLSRE NCBE) NTE GDDMNSE N CU RE RCBRNE
(TENE TFRNE NCBRTSE NCBE 1NC)
(FI?RSE PRSE ONDE 71 NCBE)
(CDNSE PRSE ONSDE 74 NCBE)
(PRTSE PRSE ONREDE 75 NCBE)
(TF NR?CMSP SOLE MRDE LUSE TOTE WLD N WLDNCBE)
(194 WLD’S NCBE) (TRFXL)

This isn’t perfect, but it’s pretty close. You ain’t gonna crack it till you at least get the spelling right!

“N” appears to often represent “AND”.
Note the sequence LUSE TOTE WLD N WLDNCBE): Loose totally wild and wild and ?. Almost looks like somebody’s “Little Black Book,” rating women. The guy did have a sex problem, right???

There are very few vowels, except final E’s.

A couple or three I’s. It’s 1NC, not INC.

Very few O’s, almost always at the beginning of words. Most supposed O’s are actually D’s.

Some A’s, again at the beginning of words. Note ARSE.

No U’s except what looks like CU, standard texting lingo.

The lack of vowels indicates, not a substitution code, but a vowel-less shorthand resembling some of the Semitic languages: Arabic, Hebrew, etc. I’m not making an ethnic reference here, just a linguistic one.

There are ABSOLUTELY NO Q’s. Those are the guy’s peculiar looking R’s.

If I had to guess, I’d say those xE endings are grammatical. Note that -E is the Esperanto ending indicating an adverb. Note TOTE for totally.

AL looks like “All”. The A appears because L alone is too hard to read.

That’s enough for now. Some feedback would be nice.

112

Agree. But how about if some words are represented as character substitution and some are shorthanded?

This gets me back to the theory that the person that wrote the notes was using a memorised cypher, and I think it was somewhat complex (or at least not trivial) even for him.

I guess that the strikeovers on the manuscripts are essential to recreate the code.

That is because they are the only cue we have on how we could make a mistake while following his thinking pattern, and then come back and fix it.

Hope i made myself undrestood.

Cheers!

113

Here is a pic of your mastermind.

114

Perhaps this is only a coincidence…but about NCBE i found this…

ftp://www.ngs.noaa.gov/cors/Plots/ncbe.gif
http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/CORS/What_is_CORS.html

and from the original FBI picture, the first text seems to be a… US map when you move away from you.

I know… it’s only my imagination… but i must say it :slight_smile:

115

Note 1 text:
(MND NXNE A RSE-N-SPA UN ARE) (ALFMN)
TFRNE N8TNSE N[/COLOR]PRSE RCBR[COLOR=“cyan”]NSE N[/COLOR]PRSE INC
PRSE NMRSE 8PREHLD-WLD NCBE (TFXLF TCXLN CBE)
AL-PRPPIT XLY PPIY NCBE MGKSE WLD RCBR NSE PRSE
WLD RCB RNSE N T OSNENTRSE - CRSLE - LTRSE WLD NCBE
AL WLD NCBETSME LSE RLSE-R GLSNE AS N WLD NCBE
(NOPFSE NLSRE NCBE) NTE GDDMNSEN CURERCBRNE
(TENE TFRNE NCBR TSE NCBE ING)
(FLRSE PRSE ONDE 71 NCBE)
(CDNSE PRSE ONSE 74 NCBE)
(PR+SE PRSE ON REDE 75 NCBE)
(TF NSEMSP SOLE MRDE LUSE TOTE WLDN WLD NCBE)
(194 WLD’s NCBE) (TRFXC)
Note 2 text:
ALPNTE GLSE-SE ER+E
VLSE MTSE-CTSE-WSE-FRTSE
PURTRSE ONDRSE WLD NCBE
N WLD XLR CMS? NE WLD STS ME XL

DULMT 6 TUNSE NCBEXC

(MKNSA I STENMU NARSE)
KLSE-LKSTE-TR SE-TRSE-MRSE N-MRSE
(SAESNSE SE N MLSE)

NMN LCBL NSE[/COLOR] P+E 2 PTE WSRC BERSE
36 MLSE 74 SPRKSE 29 KCNO8 OLE + TS R+RSE
35 GLE CLGSE JUNUTXE DKRSE PSESHLE
651 MTCSE HTLSE N CU TC TRS NMRF
99.84.5 2 UNE PLSE NCKSE AOLTSE NSKSE N SE

NSRE ONSE PUT SE WLD NCBE (3 XORL)
MN80SE NRSE I N R N TRLERCB RNSE NTSRCR O NE
DEPNSE N G SPSE MKSE R 8 SE NCBE MV XL R
HM CRENMRE ECBE 1/2 MUNDDLSE

D-W_M-Y MIL XDRLX

116

Was the murder weapon an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle?

117

(FLRSE PRSE ONDE 71 NCBE)
(CDNSE PRSE ONS*E 74 NCBE)
(PR+SE PRSE ONREDE 75 NCBE)

its about bio technology that modify, all it u can find in http://jb.asm.org/cgi/content/short/188/12/4474
it about microbiotech that found by organitation that you can find with google:cool:

118

Should… I… click… on… dodgy… link…

HRMMMMMM.

119

i’m very sorry about link didn’t work, just copy/paste on the browser http://jb.asm.org/cgi/content/short/188/12/4474. :smiley:

120

Seems like a harmless link to an article from the Journal of Bacteriology, June 2006, p. 4474-4486, Vol. 188, No. 12.

That article’s link to the case at hand, however, is dubious to say the least.