The Bizarre Files

The Mystery Of Ricky McCormick

By: Tan Sri Son | 15/06/2025

The Mystery of Ricky McCormick’s Encrypted Notes

In the vast catalog of unsolved crimes and mysteries in the United States, few cases have captured the imagination of both amateur sleuths and professional investigators like the case of Ricky McCormick and the encrypted notes found in his possession. His death in 1999 remains suspicious, but it is the discovery of two handwritten coded notes that has turned this tragedy into one of the most puzzling unsolved cases in modern American criminal history.

Who Was Ricky McCormick?

Ricky McCormick was a 41-year-old man from St. Louis, Missouri. By all accounts, he lived a troubled and complicated life. He had dropped out of school early and was known to suffer from various health issues, including chronic heart and lung problems. He had a criminal record, mostly minor offenses, and spent some time in prison. Despite these difficulties, McCormick was not known for being violent or for involvement in organized crime.

What set him apart, however, was his peculiar habit of scribbling down notes in what seemed like his own private code. Friends and family testified that McCormick frequently wrote strange, indecipherable letters to himself, filled with random letters, numbers, and unusual combinations of words. No one could ever understand them, and McCormick never explained what they meant.

The Mysterious Death

On June 30, 1999, McCormick’s body was discovered in a cornfield in St. Charles County, Missouri—about 15 miles west of where he lived. The cause of death was never conclusively determined. There were no obvious gunshot wounds, stabbings, or blunt-force trauma. His body was badly decomposed, making forensic analysis difficult. Authorities could not determine whether it was a natural death, an accident, or foul play.

The unusual circumstances immediately raised suspicion. McCormick had no car and no known reason to be in that remote area. How he ended up there remained a mystery. Some speculated he may have been dropped off or killed elsewhere and dumped in the field.

Discovery of the Notes

What truly elevated McCormick’s case from an unsolved death to an enduring mystery were the contents found in his pockets. Investigators recovered two handwritten notes, both covered in what looked like a bizarre code.

The notes contained strings of seemingly random letters, numbers, and symbols. For example, sequences such as:

[WLD NCBE] NCBE NCBE

DRSE 35 TNRSE 74 PRSE

appeared throughout the documents. The writing bore little resemblance to any known cipher system, though some experts suggested it could be a form of shorthand, a personal code, or even a mixture of both.

FBI Involvement and Codebreaking Attempts

The notes were handed over to the FBI’s Cryptanalysis and Racketeering Records Unit (CRRU). For over a decade, the FBI attempted to crack the code with no success. In 2011, the FBI took the unusual step of publicly releasing the notes to the public, hoping that outside cryptographers, codebreakers, or even hobbyists might succeed where professionals had failed.

This move sparked widespread interest in the mystery. Thousands of amateur codebreakers, linguists, and puzzle enthusiasts took to the internet to try and decipher the notes. Online communities formed around the challenge, with theories ranging from drug deals to diary entries, secret contacts, or even hidden locations.

Despite the public fascination, no one has yet been able to prove a definitive solution to the ciphers.

Theories Behind the Notes

The enduring mystery of McCormick’s encrypted notes has led to countless theories:

1. Drug-Related Messages

Some investigators suspect McCormick may have been involved in low-level drug dealings, and the notes could have been records of transactions, debts, or contacts. The numbers and abbreviations may have represented quantities or addresses.

2. Personal Diary or Shorthand

Family members suggested the notes may have been nothing more than McCormick’s way of writing down personal thoughts. He may have used a form of shorthand that only he understood, with no broader criminal implications.

3. Mental Illness or Delusion

Another possibility is that the notes reflected McCormick’s mental state. If he suffered from a disorder that caused him to write nonsensical codes, the notes may not have any decipherable meaning at all.

4. Espionage and Conspiracy Theories

The most outlandish theories propose that McCormick could have been connected to something larger—such as government secrets, espionage, or hidden criminal networks. These claims, however, lack concrete evidence.

Why the Case Remains Unsolved

The death of Ricky McCormick has remained unsolved for decades because of several complicating factors. His body was discovered in poor condition, preventing clear forensic results. There were no witnesses, and McCormick’s lifestyle was unstable, making it hard to trace his last movements.

The encrypted notes, rather than solving the mystery, only added layers of confusion. If the notes could be cracked, they might reveal where he was going, who he met, or why he was killed. Until then, the case remains one of the FBI’s most frustrating cold cases.

Legacy of the Mystery

Today, the Ricky McCormick encrypted notes are considered one of the most baffling unsolved ciphers in American history. They sit alongside famous enigmas such as the Zodiac Killer’s letters, the Beale ciphers, and the Voynich manuscript.

The case highlights the strange intersection of crime, cryptography, and human mystery. It has inspired books, documentaries, and countless online discussions. Amateur sleuths continue to revisit the case, believing they might one day find the key that even the FBI could not.

Conclusion

The story of Ricky McCormick and his encrypted notes is not just a story of an unsolved death—it is a haunting reminder of how ordinary lives can become extraordinary puzzles. Whether McCormick was a victim of foul play, a man who carried secrets, or simply someone who created an indecipherable code for himself, his death and his cryptic writings ensure that his name lives on in the annals of America’s strangest and most enduring mysteries.

Until the notes are finally cracked, McCormick’s story remains open-ended—a mystery written not just in ink and paper, but in the unanswered questions he left behind.

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