Cryptographic clues from an unsolved mystery. FBI asks for help solving the Ricky McCormick Case.
76The FBI asks for help from amateur sleuths
Everybody likes a good mystery and this is a real one from the cold case files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Stuffed in the pocket of a dead man's clothes were two strange notes that not even the best of the best cryptanalysts can decipher.
The 41 year old body of Ricky McCormick was found in a field near St. Louis in 1999. It was the height of summer, June 30th. The notes were left in the victim's pockets and they are the only clues to the killer. Ricky seems to be the author of the notes, but the FBI thinks they point to the identity of the killer. The FBI has issued a public appeal for some fresh perspectives on the notes.
Although there is no reward for help in solving the murder case, or "cold case", the satisfaction of breaking the code is usually enough for amateur sleuths. They are looking for people that think cypher texts are easy and fun. If you do break the code or have an idea about how to break the code, the FBI is asking us to contact them at:
FBI Laboratory
Cryptanalysis and Racketeering Records Unit
2501 Investigation Parkway
Quantico, VA 22135
Attn: Ricky McCormick Case
The cryptic notes...
I've tried to make it easier to read...
This is how I think the top note reads:
ALPNTE GLSE-SE ERTE
VLSE MTSE-CTSE-WSE-FRTSE
PNRTRSE ON DRSE WLD NCBE
NWLD X LRCMSP NEWLD STS ME XL
DULMT 6 TUNSE NCBEXC
(MUNSA 1 STENMUNARSE)
KLSE-LKSTE-TRSE-TRSE-MKSEN-MRSE
(SAE 6 NSE SE N MRSE)
NMN LCB ? NSE PTE 2 PTE WSRC BK ?? E
36 MLSE 74 SPRKSE 29 KCENO 6? OLE 173 R7RSE
35 GLE CLGSE ? UN ? TXEDKRSE PSESHLE
651 MTLSE HTLSE NCUTCTRS NMRE
99.84.52 UNEPLSE VCRSE AOLTSE NSKSE N?SE
NSRE ONSE PVTSE WLD NCBE (3X a RL)
?NMSE NRSE 1N2N TRLERCB ANSENTSR CRBNE
LSPNSEN GSPSE MKSE RBSE N CBEAV X L ‘ R
MN ? CRENMRE ? LBE ½ MUNDDLSE
D-W-M.4 MIL x DRL x
The bottom note...
The bottom note is easier to read, so I didn't try to "translate" it. Cryptanalysts can usually infer some information just from the handwriting.
One thing I noticed that almost every "word" ends with "E". What could that mean? It also looks like there are some measurements involved or directions to something. A life-long resident of St. Louis may be able to make something out of that.
Maybe it's a treasure map! Wouldn't that be a shocker?
Greater St. Louis, Missouri area
highway 367 West Alton, IL - The body was found in an open area by the SE corner of the cornfield between the field road and a densely foliated levee, an old railroad grade.
1400 Chouteau, St. Louis, MO - One known address for Ricky McCormick and Sandra Jones
Marias Temps Clair - Marais Temps Clair Conservation Area. Possible location of the "treasure"
Maple Island conservation area - 
West Alton, Il - 
Alton, Il - Photos from the area where Ricky's body was found
Mug Shot
Names associated with these cases...
These people were associated with Ricky McCormick at some point in his criminal life. Perhaps something in the cryptic code relates to one or more of these names:
Vicki Young or Sandra Jones; Charles McCormick; Shari K Gueninger; Frederick Carl Toelle; Edward William Sweeny, Jr.; Judge Sherri A Sullivan; Thomas C Mummert III; Mary C McWilliams (PD); Jane B Geiler; Judge Michael Paul David; Dr. Michael Armour; Judge Charles A Shaw; Eric Seymour Affholter (PD).
Additional Information about Ricky McCormick
Court Records search by RealHousewife
Ricky McCormick was born in 1958, he was 41 at the time of his death in 1999. His brother, Charles was born in 1959. Ricky was reportedly unmarried, but known to be the father of at least four children (from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch - Friday, July 2, 1999) Ricky was last seen on June 25, 1999 at Forest Park
Hospital in St.
Louis where he obtained medication for his illnesses. McCormick was unemployed and on disability welfare; he was
not homeless. Death appears to be caused by a blow to the head.
Ricky, or his brother, Charles may have been married to a Vicki Young or a Sandra Jones. There is some confusion about who was married to whom. Vicky Young had a child from an unknown father who had the child support payments suspended in 1990. The child is also rumored to have been fathered by Ricky or Charles McCormick.
Vicki was accused of passing bad checks, possibly cheating on unemployment requirements and fraud. She allegedly never paid her bills. Not much is known about Sandra Jones.
11-1992: A criminal complaint was filed against Ricky McCormick
12-23-1992: An indictment was filed for 1st degree sexual assault (Rape, Weapon or Injury involving a child under the age of 14)
4-22-1993: A mental exam was requested by the St. Louis State Hospital
9-1-1993: Ricky McCormick entered a guilty plea to the criminal complaint.
10-8-1993: Ricky began a three year sentence with the Missouri State Dept. of Corrections, serving only 11 months. Jail time reduced his sentence.
9-15-1994: Ricky was charged with writing bad checks.
5-14-1999: Ricky and Sandra both had a judgement against them for non-payment of rent? in the amount of $905.02 each.
6-30-1999: Ricky McCormick's body found in a field near West Alton, Illinois, just north of St. Louis, MO.
Courthouse records found by Anonymous.
Analysis from a friendly Illinois inmate - Number BR549 4/9/2011
- Was Ricky an inmate in Farmington or Potosi?
- The code letters may be in a progression and this is why some of the words are in parentheses to indicate starts and stops. The apostrophe may be a red herring or a stray pen mark. It is too obvious to be intended in the way an apostrophe is usually used.
- Ricky was probably an abused child and the code is his way of talking to someone. His spelling is probably bad. Ricky was a disturbed individual and this code is either very sophisticated or very childish.
- This code may indicate where something or someone is hidden.
- What did his parents do for a living? His brother’s occupation?
- Who was the victim of the sexual assault? Could she have been related to someone of importance? Is she still missing? Is she seeking closure?
- What comic books or kid’s decoder games were popular when Ricky was a kid? There were some “decoder rings” in cereal boxes at one time.
- The code may have been a way for Ricky to talk to his brother or friends when he was being “punished” as a child.
- One of the pages may actually be the key to the other pages.
- Having to write over one letter may mean that the letter was actually “real” and not part of the code. It may be a clue to figuring out the rest of the letters.
An analysis from the smartest Hubber I know...
I had to write to Manna in the Wild to ask if he could shed some light on the crime scene notes. Here is his reply:
Yes - I saw this case too. It is curious. In the war, the Americans recruited the Navaho (Navajo) because of their unique language. They used them as crypto-translators. The enemy could not penetrate the language and so it was very successful. These notes may be similar if he did not base the language on anything known.
When a known language is encrypted it can be mixed with a random stream of data of the same length as the message and the message takes on the characteristics of the random stream. This too cannot be decrypted.
But it is impractical to use a key as long as the message, so key-based cryptography uses different methods with a shorter key. This often creates the possibility that the encrypted stream can be 'cracked'.
‘Standard’ methods of crypto-analysis include 'frequency analysis' and brute-force attacks and 'cribs' and so on. Often, the success demands a lot of encrypted text. In the case of the murdered victim, it appears that there is only a small amount of code, and it is out of context. These are both detrimental to cracking it.
It's obviously not a substitution cipher - usually you can crack these just by looking at it, so FBI would have tried that. How much further they went, I don't know.
I noticed, for example a word that uses an apostrophe. That might be a clue. Other clues are gained from knowledge of the victim's intellect, cunning, relationships, dealings, friends etc and could provide a crib. We are not privy to that information. When 'reading' the notes, it does sort of look like a language rather than a code. If so there might not be enough data to crack it. Those brackets and other punctuation, and the digits might be useful too.
Try to find out more about the character and his friends and relationships. They say he was 'street-smart' suggesting that he could be involved with drug deals or other crime. That in itself is possibly a clue -- perhaps there are other people on the other end of a crime ring who can read the note, or maybe it's his own personal 'blog' and he uses a random child-language no-one else knows. It could be full of its own language's spelling and grammar mistakes which are distracting for cryptanalysis.
Analysis used by permission from Manna in the Wild
Ciphers and Analysis Video How To
How cryptographic analyists go about breaking a code...
Cypher systems are usually broken by applying four steps:
- Determine the language - In this case it is obviously English but could be some childhood language like "pig-latin" Ricky never graduated high school and his family say he made notes like these since he was a boy.
- Determine the system - letter substitution, rearranged words, math, reference, etc.
- Find the key - for instance, if it is letter substitution, what letter is substituted?
- Apply the key to figure out the message.
Well, that sure sounds easy enough so get cracking and help the FBI! Here is a cool little site so you can practice your code breaking skills.
Bookmark this hub!
Save this hub so you can come back and leave notes as you think of them. If we all work together, we can solve this mystery!
Comments - Can you shed some light on the Ricky McCormick murder? Can you break the code?Loading...
Wow, this is a fascinating hub! I am really interested to see if anyone solves it!
Very mysterious indeed and pretty crazy that the FBI would turn to the public looking for answers. Reminded me a bit of the Lead Masks Case although that one's cryptic note was fully legible and was not necessarily a murder: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_Masks_Case
This surprises me and I can only think the FBI can't be bothered to tie up it's Cray computers on cracking the code. You can bet your life if the president was involved, they would have worked night and day to solve the obvious - the butler did it!
Joking apart, how was he killed, you didn't say unless I missed it. Fascinating subject Bob
LOL Austinstar - your new fan Sydney thought this was cool and, " a little violent don't 'cha think,". Now that's a direct quote! Hilarious! She hope you solve it!
RealHousewife - I made the edits and there will probably be more to come. You know, there is no statute of limitations on murder!
melbel - I've been working on it for a week. Still haven't solved it, but I'm just not that smart, yet. I'm hoping the very intelligent HubPages community will have some more clues.
Titen - Maybe the ChupaCabra did it! You have an in with the "other world". Maybe Ricky's ghost will come forward.
Bob - Ricky was killed by a blow to the head. I can't believe I didn't put that in. Good catch!
Sydney - I hope you never encounter violence, but it is out there. Ricky sounds like a creep and maybe even deserves to be dead. But mysteries are intriguing! We really don't want his killer to be running around.
I noticed as soon as you did it, I was reading the links from the newspaper articles:). I am still going to dig for info and I'll update you if I hear anything you didn't already cover. I wonder if he wrote that way in prison, or if he explained his code to anyone in jail.
Crazy, I know a few folks that are incarcerated now, I do a bunch of work for lawyers with property disputes - I'm going to drop a line and see if we can get them talking.
People with property disputes go to prison? OMG, makes we want to reconsider my suggestion that my neighbor remove his chicken coop from the side of my fence! Yikes!
Well not exactly, but here's the thing. I also do reports for property that has been seized due to possible or alleged illegal crimes. I am into second chances too:)! Also property can be an issue if some one is sent to jail. As a matter of fact - one of our old bosses went to jail for fraud and tax evasion! He just got out - did 4 years - Federal prison. Peter Shaw (it is a matter of public record)! 13 million dollars went missing - they still have not recovered most of it. There's buried treasure to find! The radical thing, I actually got an order for a search on HIS property for foreclosure while he was incarcerated! You just never know!
I have a bunch of fans though because I send great post cards - the last one said "I'd kick you in the a@@, but I'm afraid I'd kill the gerbil". Now I heard even the guards loved that one;)
Austinstar,
I'm probably going to hate you for this...
The obsessive in me has already printed out the hub and the notes,
The sceptic in me says, "why are you posting this on April 1?"
C
Cool Chris! Let me know if you want me to check the records for anything or run any interesting names to see what is attached to their name.
Well, March 28th is the start of the new HubPages "So You Think You Can Write" contest. I actually published it last night right before midnight.
I'm going to try to write a lot of hubs this month in an attempt to win cash. You can too, just put the tag WritingContest in your hubs and may the best hubber win!
P.S. Don't be hatin'
Sounds interesting and a lot of work to be done on catching the murder. You sure put the evidence out there for us to try and solve the murder.
I hope you do win cash Austin! I will be rooting for you!
Arghhhh, you minx, you've got me puzzling over this, and thus not writing hubs that could actually win money!!!!
Great plan, but...
I
Must
Have
Willpower...
Ok well I sent a letter to a contact in jail - he is in a missouri jail and you know the recidivism rate is very high here. 1994 wasn't so long ago. I included the encrypted notes and gave him a run down. I also offered bonus commissary money;). I'll bet they will all be trying to crack the code. Not much to do in there. My contact works in the law library;) lol!
You'd be surprised at what info you can get for a few boxes of HO HO's! I'll keep you posted.
Wow, you the super Ho!
C
Let us hope that someone gets caught for the murder soon.
You did a very good job of this... and so fast! I like your observation that many words end in E. That really is odd. It's certainly not a substitution cypher, and just by looking at it I can see that the letter distribution is not random. Rather than repeated patterns, there are repeated phonemes but the representation of each seems to vary. Some 'words' resemble English words. I found and nicked this from another source:
1.TFRNE(2)=FRIEND, 2.NCBE(11)=EVENT OR MURDER, 3.PRSEON=PERSON, 4.F1RSE=FIRST, 5.DE71=DECEMBER 1971, 6.SE74=SEPTEMBER 1974, 7.REDE75=REPEATED DECEMBER 1975, 8.WLD'S=WORLD OR WOULD OF
Manna in the wild ! Wow! Fascinating stuff. Austinstar was right about you!
I have to say, Austinstar does work fast, usually I get to have 3 days to research), she would only give me one:)! Lol!
Note: FBI have a massive response so now they made a feedback form: http://forms.fbi.gov/code
You should read the posts here: http://www.anthraxinvestigation.com/
This guy also thinks this is primarily a linguistic problem more than a cryptographic problem. He astutely points out there are signs of severe dyslexia.
Great details about the case, Lela, and the notes are the icing on the cake. Anyone with even a tiny curious bone in his or her body will be trying to solve this - including yours truly. Thanks for the mystery.
let me get this right.the fbi asks for help cracking a code.which is fine.but they waited over a decade?by now the person who did it could be dead as well.I would put 100% into it,if the person murdered was innocent.and I started to try to crack the code.but then I read above that he raped/injured/etc., a child under 14? and was a career criminal? and all the other stuff? he seemed to have it coming from many sides.I could even let the other stuff go.but am not sorry a pervert child molester is dead.I'd much rather spend my time solving a crime that involves an innocent child or person.
Austinstar is in the hospital y'all! So let's all keep her score up while she's out. I think she over worked herself and she is only in for observation at this time.
@pattianne - yeah I don't think the guy deserves my respect or anything. This is just for fun, those of us who are curious would like to know some answers. The FBI is also interested in understanding the code to perhaps catch future killers. I understand your disgust.
@patttianne, you're right. It's pretty strange. I think there is more to this story than finding the "killer". Some stories I have read on the web cast doubt that Ricky was even murdered. He may have died of natural causes.
I think there is something in these notes that they want to know about other than the murder.
@RealHo - Thanks for getting my back! I'm all better now and will go home today. I might have to call in sick on Monday though, just to make sure :-)
Yup - I am a loyal and real fan Austinstar! Ii got 'cher back:). I'm glad they are springing you! Oh and bonus you get Monday of - take Tuesay too - tell your boss Real HO said! Let us know how your doing, I'm glad for the update. I got up just to check on you.
Hospital beds are torture devices. I want my air bed! Whine....
Will you make me and Sydney some pancakes?
Great scott Austin, I wouldn't have a hope in hell at solving this and if I try I may never come up for air. But I will say, what a fantastic idea for a hub.
Oh okay, maybe just a quick look.
Talk about hard.Since he spent some time at the hospital, I'm wondering if NRSE could be 'nurse' and ONSE, 'once"?
NSRE ONSE PVTSE WLD NCBE
Nurse once provided me with nicobate..!
Sure I make great pancakes too Austinstar -The bisquick kind - nice and thick! You also get bacon.
I showed Syd the t-sort yesterday! I forgot that they would "get it" and she silently read it - when she got to the last word, POW! She was rotf! Loved it!
Jane Bovary - smart! I also wondered if he developed his own code? He didn't finish high school so he may have had to improvise. Smart people are always looking for hard answers! Great job! I also wondered if ETRE is really tree, for example.
Here is an interesting observation from someone named "Lucibear"
"On a personal note, I will not be forwarding my findings to the FBI via mail as is being requested by the article, and would simply ask any Good Samaritan to copy, print and mail it for yourself if you feel strongly enough to help in this case. I have my own reasons (they're called: paranoia, agoraphobia & apathy). Finally, for everyone who has emailed me and given me a great deal of moral support, thank you so kindly. To the dozens of law enforcement officers, either from my state or outside of my state/federal level, please do not be offended if I refuse to return your phone calls/emails, as I am not interested in involving myself personally or become entangled in law enforcement bureaucracy. I want to repeat once again, the FBI has already cracked this "code" (it's not a code at all, it's a form of gibberish derived from local slang and Ricky's own made up language which really holds no set of rules, but changes constantly, for those mega geniuses cracking their skulls with algorithms/mathematical theorems, computer software and/or crypto-powers....lol), but the FBI is instead attempting to seek the meaning behind Ricky McCormick's words in order to find something else (I will not say what at this time). They are looking for help understanding what he means when he is saying certain things, and are hoping that people in the general public with similar mindsets, cultural backgrounds, experiences, etc...can better interpret Ricky McCormick's words, in order to find something related to Ricky's actions while he was alive. "
Also from lucibear:
"Here is the decrypted message starting with the "first" page:
Circled "P" on top right corner = Page 1 (This is obvious. I do this with all of my notes as well.)
*IMPORTANT*: PAGE 1 is the first page of several pages Mr. McCormick wrote (about 6 pages) and has no 'direct' immediate correlation with the page titled "NOTES". Page 1 begins (and surely extends over several pages thus confirming my theory of multiple pages) telling a very long, detailed, and intricate story about what Ricky McCormick has been doing, his reasons for the things he did, and his thoughts on the person he had become. You MUST realize that a LOT of his thoughts are intertwined with fantasy and therein lays the confusion and major obstacle. The FBI is only revealing the first page and the NOTES page (other pages reveal details which would not be suitable to release to the public at this time for obvious reasons) because it is a way to use both pages to best "decode" the messages due to repeating letters contained in both pages as clues to help public sleuths. Why are they really doing this? They know that it would be a matter of days for the messages to be decoded, but are instead waiting on the response from those who actually understand what Ricky is saying, how it relates to real life and locations, so they can solve other mysteries relating to Ricky (are you following me?), BUT believe me when I tell you, Ricky had multiple pages (approx. 6 or more pages) total in these handwritten notes, or 'pseudo-diary' of his. I know this because I too have to number my pages to keep track of my thoughts and a sense of timeline, because medication & alcohol abuse, or lack of medication/alcohol/illegal drugs, causes a loss of short term memory and a distortion in timeline/events. Mr. McCormick had a history of alcohol abuse and delusions/psychotic episodes (was arrested & baker acted (mental health)) and he had a great deal of confusion when it came to time or series of events (reality distortion). He would rarely, most likely never, wear a watch. He lived in a world of semi-fantasy as most persons who suffer from autism/adhd/bi-polar, etc. Ricky exhibited deviant behavior in his sexual relationships and did have aggressive tendencies. He could best be described by a layperson who knew nothing of his medical history as a narcissist; selfish, self-centered, stimulation-seeking (alcohol, drugs, sex, parties, etc.), BUT had a very charming personality; funny, witty, smart and able to befriend others quickly and gain the trust of strangers with ease. His lack of college education did not retard Ricky's ability to learn very quickly, easily manipulate others, and found himself often passing through life merely on his charm and adventurous nature. Ricky had many dark sides to him, the most prevalent of which was his sexual deviancy (I'll prove that in a second with the full translation of PAGE 1). More importantly, Mr. McCormick was NOT murdered in my opinion, but instead died from a medication overdose/reaction possibly mixed with alcohol or another form of drug, maybe even liver/kidney failure/stroke/heart attack....due to years of mixing medications/drugs/alcohol, and his head trauma being reported in his death report was most likely caused by him falling or stumbling onto something during a drunken/inebriated stupor. The person or persons he was partying with decided to dump his body to avoid police trouble due to drugs being in the scenario. His purpose for being out where he was, which is what everyone wants to know, was to revisit 'someone'. He wanted to commit suicide due to the guilt of what he had been doing over the years, but instead of a quick death, he was abusing drugs/alcohol and hoping to end his life that way. He took the notes that were found on his person to remind himself of both A) his past transgressions and the exact location of a person he wanted to "revisit", and B) who he blamed for his most recent psychotic episodes and recurring lack of self-control; i.e.: the mental health community/hospital/doctors/nurses (as I have already explained and deciphered in the "NOTES" page. He felt responsible for his actions, but also felt that it was exacerbated by poor mental health treatment, medication and his premature release from the mental health hospital (therefore he does blame the hospital and staff as is validated in his NOTES letter; he did in fact wish for someone to further investigate the series of events that he felt were criminal, or negligent at best, and this is why he carried the NOTES section of his letters. He was going to find a way to incriminate certain people, but again, you must remember that these are the delusional thoughts of an angry man bent on revenge, but not always based on reality. He could never let things go and was always thinking of ways to get revenge. Anyway, most people will not want to read this part, but Ricky was already on a dark path of hurting people (which is why the other letters have been withheld by the FBI because these letters I'm sure will detail things he did, and I believe this based on what PAGE1 is already starting to illustrate). (continued) dxlaesenxlnyseseantxlopieesettrxloatyeseahoxlodotesecom [xl ese"
Interesting note! This is why I thought to contact a jailed person here. It might be recognizable to another inmate familiar with the local lingo. The mystery gets deeper!
And one other observation from someone named
caligula123:
"MTSE= Maintenance VLSE= refers to a Nissan distributor program WSE= Provides used cars and parts to Nissan.
FRTSE= A website that was Nissan geared and went offline in 1998.
The VIN Number is 17 digits starts JN2_ S _S? _G_ C _ X and then I lost conversions. T=Origin Oppama Japan U= Stanza L= Production sequence BK= is Black I think.
Second page is a bitch because he is grabbing cars by color, vin, plate, and various ways and still working on that. But Mechanics work book time, so to keep a dealer honest and make sure you get paid you log your jobs, those jobs can be cross referenced by vin, plate, and various ways."
Austinstar - creepy. Maybe you should edit my company name right on outta here. This screams drug book to me. He is keeping track of who owes drug money, I'll just bet'cha that. It would be the only identifier for "customers" that Drive up and purchase drugs. People often try to steal drugs by driving off. Street smart people here have ways of managing that. Also if he "fronts" drugs he would keep track of ongoing credits and debits. I just have a hunch.
Done! This has gotten a bit creepier and creepier, so I don't blame you. You may very well be right!
Yes, when you work with lawyers I am afraid you learn things you'd rather not. However, I go where the research takes me - always, and I love very minute of it!
Good lord - how fascinating but how puzzling. What if it just random 'gibberish' that doesn't have any meaning at all? I have to say people who work at decoding this stuff must have an extra part of their brain! As in so many tragedies, I hope they do figure it out.
Well, Audrey, it could be gibberish, but why the big FBI interest?
"fershizzle" wait one minnizzle!
Translation = for sure wait one minute.
Well, that was an easy code to break, RealHo!
Yeah it is gang slang. They use that one here. I was way in to see if he was gonna get up in your grill:)
guys,
you are doing great but i have to say something....
you have to know that Ricky McCormic had be making codes since he was a little boy so he had much time to make it complicated than ever...the advices on the video were great but everyone on the BFI probably know them and they couldnt find out what is means...the FBI company hire only great code breakers which means they know all these advices and they have been working on it for 11 YEARS!!! you have to consider all these details B4 you start...this man was a crazy man so you have to sit and think what can run through a madman's mind...
Good luck to us all
Austinstar - I think someone is doing some ear hustlin' on your page:)
I received a 5 page letter from my contact today. Wow! I just don't know where to start! He has a wicked sense of humor though and pointed out that Honeycomb Cereal used to have a decoder:)
Before its all over,this guy will have DB Cooper status.He was just an average guy,with below average intelligence.Lets not make him a martyr.
This hub is not about Ricky, it's about decrypting the code. Background on Ricky is provided to help, not to make him a martyr of any kind. It's quite obvious that he was a bad guy.
This individual developed his own code based on his own secret language. I found a number in his notes, 99.84.52, which is similiar to a cipher used by Benedict Arnold in the Revolutionary War. The three numbers represent the page, line, and word number of a certain book that both parties of the communication had in their possession. The first book used by Arnold was volume I of the fifth Oxford edition of the legal classic, Blckstone's Commentaries. After encountering some difficulties the conspirators switched to the best-selling Universal Etymological English Dictionary. The words were then listed alphabetically and hence much easier to locate. It is very possible that the numbers could also represent an individual known only to McCormick. The punctuation is also relevant in his notes. The key is profiling McCormick, getting inside his mind, his friends and family, and trying to develope a code that matches his. He has a master "book" somewhere that lists his ciphers just like a dictionary.
Hub updated 4/9/2011 - A friend is helping me to write this hub and doing a lot of investigative work. We may actually crack this code!
You are so good at ferreting out the right details! I do remember cereal that had the secret codes on the boxes - my sister loved Honeycomb, I hated it but I think that may be it? Hmm!
Hey Austinstar, that's one interesting hub. A cold case from the FBI is definitely worth bringing to light, because of the possibility of someone helping. The Internet is a powerful tool, if used properly and I'm sure, after enough people read it, the case will be closed on the killer. It would be great to see. Thumbs up! :) Nice read. :)
This is good stuff. Nicely arranged. And I like how you brought in a Hubber as a witness too. That was a nice touch, and it added a lot to the read. I hope you win!
Update 4-11-11 - New photos of the areas mentioned in the hub. Please let us know if you can identify the skeleton.
Thank you, Shadesbreath. I value your opinion for sure! Thanks for stopping by.
Way cool Austinstar - congratulations on your nomination! You are an excellent teacher!
This has to be one of the most fascinating Hubs I've ever read! I'm hopeless at puzzles like this but love them all the same. Great work, Lela, thanks.
Love and peace
Tony
Hi Tony! I spent a lot of time on this hub and it is fascinating. RealHousewife helped so much. She took the photos of the area and did the background check. She's a born researcher.
I really do hope we figure out this note and find whatever it is that the FBI is looking for. That would be a good reward.
Austinstar - you threw me a bone. Don't lie - you did all the work and I just ran a few names and took a couple of pictures.
My laptop works without crashing! The iPad only crashes on this particular hub. Weird.
The letters are in Arabic or Arabic script not english.
Highly doubtful since this guy never finished high school and lived his whole life in St. Louis. Arabic script looks nothing like English script.
A possible solution of McCormick¨s notes from Spain:
I suggest that: someone should look at the signature where habitually it puts on the signature.
Note the last word of the last line of the second note
"XORLX" a letter repeats itself
And remember: "McCormick" a letter repeats itself.
Then "X" = MC, C and CK.
"OR" = OR.
"L" = M, code Ceasr b or +1 substitution.
Is encrypted and shorted.
An exemple:"R" may be R, are, S(+1) or "ar"(phonetic)
"MRDE" = MarDE (phonetic)= MURDER.
Bye.it is the key.
Ricky had a health problem. Maybe psychiatric problem. If WLD mean WILD, very focused on the bad people. Perhaps for fear of being murdered. I suspect he has written this code in a hospital, describing the people who treated him, the place where He was ...
At first he was afraid of being murdered he would not write in code. On the other hand, could precipitate things to write openly and be catch.
Or was he intending to kill someone and was killed, or had no intention of anything.
I suspect that the key is the text accompanying the letters AL ...
In the text there are three P1 sequences (keys).
1) ALSM
2) AL PRPPIT
3) AL NLP This text was not finished.
The text notes only has one. ALPNTE
I understand that because He had learned as a child and seems to have studies, the code restricts the exchange of letters and excessive abbreviations. Mainly removing and replacing the vowels.
In the code "notes" the use of repetition SE serves to confuse, but it seems he managed to convey the message.
PNRTRSE ON DR (doctor) WLD (wild) N CBE
Muns STEN NURSE
KLSE - LKSTE-TR-SE-TRSE MKSE N-MRSE (NURSE)
SAE 6 NSE (NURSE) SE NMRSE (NURSE)
99.84.5 2UNEPLSE (unpleasing) NCRSE (NURSE) AOKTSE NSKSE (NURSE) NRSE (NURSE)
(TF NRCMSP SOLE MRDE (MURDER) LUSE (LOOSE) TOTALLY WILD N (NURSE) WILD NURSE CBE)
I understand that the focus of investigations are the latest hospitals where he went. I suspect that has died / killed and spawned the body to not have major problems.
Biggest Suspect: Nurse (a). Codename CBE.
******************************************
Ricky tinha algum problema de saúde. Talvez problema psiquiátrico. Se WLD significar WILD, muito focado nas pessoas más. Talvez por medo de ser assassinado. Suspeito que ele tenha escrito este código dentro de um hospital, descrevendo as pessoas que o tratavam, o lugar em que ficava …
A principio se ele tivesse medo de ser assassinado ele não escreveria em código. Por outro lado, poderia precipitar as coisas se escrevesse abertamente e o pegassem .
Ou ele estava com intenção de matar alguém e foi morto, ou não tinha intenção de nada.
Suspeito que a chave do texto sejam as letras que acompanham AL...
No texto P1 existem 3 sequencias (chaves).
1) ALSM
2) AL PRPPIT
3) AL NLP Este texto não foi terminado.
No texto notes tem apenas uma. ALPNTE
Entendo que por ter aprendido desde criança e parece não ter estudos, o código se restringe a troca de letras e excesso de abreviações. Principalmente retirando e trocando as vogais.
No código “notes” o uso de repetição SE serve para confundir, mas parece que ele conseguiu passar a mensagem.
PNRTRSE ON DR(doctor) WLD (wild) N CBE
MUNSA STEN NURSE
KLSE – LKSTE-TR SE-TRSE- MKSE N-MRSE (NURSE)
SAE 6 NSE(NURSE) SE NMRSE (NURSE)
99.84.5 2UNEPLSE(UNPLEASING) NCRSE (NURSE) AOKTSE NSKSE(NURSE) NRSE(NURSE)
( TF NRCMSP SOLE MRDE(MURDER) LUSE (LOOSE) TOTALLY WILD N(NURSE) WILD NURSE CBE )
Entendo que o foco das investigações sejam os hospitais mais recentes por onde ele passou. Suspeito que tenha morrido/assassinado e desovaram o corpo para não terem maiores problemas.
Maior suspeito : Enfermeiro(a) . Codinome CBE .
Hello Austin,
A good disguise to give us grants.
In my humble opinion based on Edgar Allan Poe´s short story "The gold bug", first we must look for the signature where habitually one puts the signature.
5 days ago i wrote that "XORLX" was "McCormick"; if we apply this knowledge to the last line of the second note this it must mean:
"O-W-N-4 H8L XORLX" = "OWN-FOR I AM McCormick".
Because:
O-W-N = OWN, equal,the hyphen serves to join the letters.
-4 = four = for(phonetic solution) and the hyphen serves to join the words.
H = I, code cesar +1.
8 = eit (phonetic)= ei (phonetic)= A.
L = M, code cesar +1.
X = Mc, C, and cK (shorthand).
OR = OR, equal.
L = M, code cesar +1.
This text must be encrypted and shorted but if these notes were written for himself.... on having put
his name these notes are really a testament, note of suicide or is a statement of property.
Poe wrote in his short story about the importance of repetead letters and words. What letters and words are repeteated in a letter usually normal? Verbs? "and"?.
Poe knew this and i think "WLD" is the verb "WOULD".
Then: would, would and wouldn´t , would´s...
Good nights. Bye from Spain.
Buenas noches, Espania, gracias por su ayuda.
I´d post a few more comments and questions, but now goes only to the FBI because might offend someone or some institution.
PS translations by Google.
TKS.
Something more:
CBE may represent perhaps the sector where he was treated as he had heart problems and lung.
(Clinical Breast Examination).
Another assumption is that CBE is also a title of "Commander" given by England. It seems that Englishs were in the hospital.
MUNSA STENMU NARSE
KLSE – LKSTE-TR SE-TRSE- MKSE N-MRSE
SAE 6 NSE SE NMRSE
STEM NURSE
KLÃ UK´S TEA SEA UK NURSE
MAY BE 6 UK NURSE
****************
99.84.5 2UNEPLSE NCRSE AOKTSE NSKSE NRSE
TWO UNPLEASING NURSE: AOKT NSK NURSE
****************
D – W – M 4 MPL XDRLX
may be: Die with Me for My pleasure
**********************
NP NURSE PRACTITIONER
RN REGISTERED NURSE
PN PSYCHIATRY AND NEUROLOGY
...
If the information related to this stay in the jail is correct already what means the last line of the first note and his general topic:
( I 94 WLD´S n cBE ) -space- (TRFXL); it means:
( I 1994 would is and Do BeEn ) -space-(TeRRiFy Came)
To be in the jail was something terrifying for Mccormick. 94 is a date as another numbers of the first note. He remembers his life. He knows that he will die promptly.
The request of help realized by FBI for resolver the crux of Mccormick´s code is going to reserve a very curious response.
Why do they serve the numbers?
-They mesure the space, the time and the quantity.
You must look at the second note. The pade of paper is a bit dirty. Someone had been employed at something whit his hands and later he has written this numbers:
-36 ml (miles?)
-74 (1974?)
-35 GLE (HOME? by code caesar +1.
-&51 mt (meters?)
-99.84.$ 2 unE PLSE= 99.840 dolars to you i please?
-1/2 mun D PLSE = half my you and the please.
It looks like the necessary information to find something and to distribute it, not?.
We have to look for a small treasure, ladies.
Your have you a pick and a spade?
Bye.
Interesting. Or it could be the location of a body.
Yes, maybe any inanimate object.
Look the notes.
The note one is clean and the 2nd. note is dirty
The note one is well written and the note two is not well written.
The note no.2 seems a entry on the scene and situation instead of on a map. Mccormick had no time to get home to writte well the data in a clean paper.
He died a natural death by physical exhaustion or illness.
Perhaps his treasure is in Augusta AVA.
to be continued.
Ladies, is much easier to pull any body into the river of Mark Twain.
Look at the line twelve, note one, if "mRDE"=Mar(e)DE= MURDER by phonetic solution and shorthand; then the line 12 can mean the following:
-(TF n Y c mS P SOLE mRDE LUSE TO TE WLD n WLD n cBE)
-Thief and thorn (it)´D miss (someone) sole murder loose to the would and would not (it)¨D been.
Letter "thorn" = Y. Old English letter.
It seems that there may be an unsolved murder.
To be continued.
I do a correction on my last interpretationof line 12, first note:
(TF n "THORN" c mS P SOLE mRDE LUSE TO TE WLD n WLD n CBE)
-Thief and thorn (it)´d miss quit sole murder loose to tie (it) would (´d been) and would not ´d been-
P = Q (code cesar +1) = quit (by shorthand).
So in the first line of the second note the "P" interpretation would be:
"AL P n TE GLSE-SE ER+E"
-All quit and tie. Home is ease. Err crossed.-
AL=all, shorthand.
G=H and L=M by code cesar +1, HOME by shorthand.
E-SE= ease, because the hyphen join the letters and phonetic solution (i-si).
ER=err, shorthand. +E=Cross e= Crossed, by shorthand and phonetic solution.
To be continued
The possible decoding of the first five lines of the second note is:
- ALL QUIT AND TIE. HOME IS EASE(Y). ERR CROSSED
- WAY LOSE MEET IS EASE(Y), THIS EXCESS EFFORT SEE.....
-QUIT, YOU RATHER SEE ON PRAISE (IT) WOULD NOT HAD BEEN..
-AND (IT) WOULD COME ARE HAD MISS QUIT AND I WOULD IS THIS ME COME.
- BULK MEET ZEST YOU(RS) AND SEE AND (IT)´D BECOME.
I guess there are some grammatical errors but i think Mccormick explains what he has done and how we can find what´s hidden.
To be continued.
Does someone know Marais Temps Clair conservation Area?
I have not heard of it. I'll ask a friend if she knows
OK, it's a marshy area near St. Louis, MO and Alton, Ill. What should we be looking for?
So interesting. I will do some nosing around. I can't help wondering if he and that other murderer were friends and sharing you know? Maury the murderer. Same area. Lots of water near there - and a conservation area now that I think about it! If you drive back there - there is a place where alki's and druggies go to fish for carp and such - I have seen lots of drug paraphenilia left laying around. Hidden from the public and not well traveled.
What about Maple Island Conservation area?
the first line of the first Mccormick´s shorthand note says this seems to me:
----(mND mk n E "double M" RS E-n-s-m-k n A 8E) (AL S mN)
Transcription:
(MONDAY MAKE AND I´M MARAIS, INSI(G)NI(FI)CANT A EITHER) (ALL IS MINE).
The key is the double "M", "m" to "i´m" and "M" to Marais
----There are only 3 "Marais" in Missouri: Marais Croche, Marais des Cygnes and Marais temps clair conservation Area
---Look: mnD= monday, mk= make, n= and, E= i by phonetic and "m"= i´m, MRS= MARAIS, E-n-S-m-k n = Insi(g)ni(fi)cant because the hyphen join the letters and m = n by code cesar +1 and the phonetic use (E=i, k n = cant...); A=A or AN; 8E= by phonetic solution=eit-e.
----Al= ALL, S=is and mN=mine.
----Marais seems a good place to hide something, a case or suitcase with 99.840 $ and more.
--Are there 35 homes betwen West Alton and Marais TC CA?.
BYE.
I have added the Marais Temps Clair Conservation area and Maple Island to the map and here is what my St. Louis contact has to say about the area:
"I did more looking last night and if you google the map for the Maple Island ...in West Alton MO you can view the area. I just wanted to note a few additional observations. That area is full of conservation areas - but the Maple Island area - is where I was talking about. There is a locks and dams area right there - you could actually walk out to it and across it - it's very creepy. You can drive the road back all the way - it's really very beautiful in it's creation.....but keep going and there's an observatory you can climb into like a deer stand sort of - a little nicer:) then dirt turns to gravel and you go back further and it dead ends into the locks and dams. People fish there - do drugs there - but Everyone acts like there's nothing going on, you know? Seedy people hang there. Most people don't know about it. Weird I know! Lol. I for sure would not go there alone - and it is almost dead pan on the other side of the highway where all those bodies were found.
There is a dirt road that runs parallel to 67 and Maple Island is on one side and the area where the bodies were found are on that dirt road on the other side. In the pictures I took that is the road - if you venture down that road it leads to another party area (a couple miles down) and I believe it is also a drug hang out. I didn't go there because I was unsure of the road - and there was no way to turn around. I think it's a small lake size there too."
---Does Maple Island CA is a very, very wet?
---Is the Island a place that floods often Mississippi river?
---The problem is that: The water clear the test, moving objects and rots; then change the groun-based measurements and the numbers of the 2nd note becomes uselees.
---I prefer the route "St Louis Mo." to "Marais TC CA" because between the city and the CA there are 35,9 miles (suggested by Google, route I-170 N), almost like the number of the note two: 36m.
----I look a little wet where you can keep money and other items, a place with fixed points: towers, cabins and stable observation pits. A legally protected.
---Like a deserted island for a pirate´s treasure.
The observation tower might be the spot then. I think you should seriously check it out, RH. I don't know about digging though. In a conservation area, the constable might not permit a metal detector or shovel or anything like that. Might have to just scrounge around with a stick or something. Be careful of snakes and the like.
Like I was thinking, Ricky may have been hired, or coerced into making a drug money drop and was killed after hiding the money. Perhaps the killer thought the money was nearby or he knew where it was or something. I know Ricky didn't have enough money of his own to be worth looking into. So it's either nefarious people or the FBI themselves looking for something that Ricky may have known the location of.
We may never know.
---A TRANSCRIPTION SOMETHING ROMANTIC ABOUT THE DEATH.
Note 2, line 7,was written:
"KL S E-L RST E-T R S E-T h6 E-m KSE n-m hSE"
TRANSCRIPTION:
"KILL IS ILL, REST IT RISE, IT HAZE,I´M KEEPSAKE, ENEMY SEE" (or "enemy hush i").
EXPLANATION: Remember the hyphen join and phonetic and short form solutions.
-KL=kill, S=is, I-L=ill.
-RST=rest, E-T=it, RS=rise.
-E-T= it, h6= haze (note, 6=siks=zii (US) or zed= Z)
-E-M= i´m, KSE= keepsake.
-n-m= en-em(i)=ENEMY or n-m h=en-em i(by code cesar +1
-SE= see or h S E= hush i.
ENEMY is a MURDERER or is THE DEATH?
-----I do not know if his illness was very serious.
-----I think he had a plan. It was with some vehicles to Marais TC CA and returned by train (katy trail?) but something made him lose before reaching St. Louis.
bye.
I will check the tower out - and just have a look around those areas. No digging for me! I would end up in the jail house! I do think Ricky was street smart - and Katy trail runs a long long way - with railroad tracks running paralell to it through Frontier Park along the St. Charles river front. So creepy but fascinating!
----I have a map of Marais Temps Clair CA.
http://extra.mdc.mo.gov/documents/area_brochures/7
----I suppose the suitcase must be buried in these areas:
Between POOL 7, POOL 10 or POOL 6; in a dry area near a obsevation pit because i do not see towers or cabins with Google Earth . It must be far from the Headquarters and parking lot.
----There are no designared trails but the service roads on wetland levees provide good opportunity for hiking. Acces to these service roads is closed from october 15 through the end of the local duck season.
bye.
... still following. It looks like you might have made some progress!
I'm not sure exactly what we are progressing to, but hopefully it will be worth the effort.
----The complete direction is this:
extra.mdc.mo.gov/documents/area_brochures
/7902map.pdf.
----A possible traslation of the line 4, note one, makes me think about a pit:
"A L-P R P PIT XL Y PPIY NCBE MG-K SE WLD RCB R NSE PRSE"
Keys: Y=wai=way, IY=ai wai=away, PP=peep by phonetics
---- the hyphen join: L-P= loop, G-W= gawk by short form;
P=q=quit by code cesar +1; c=d contraction(had or would).
-A loop are quit, pit come way peep away and had been me gawk see would are would be are and see praise-
----It is to say, he has found a place that him might be useful for his visual charasteristics: a pit of observation.
bye.
-----Mccormick hid in the "Marais Temps Clair CA."(St. Charles County -MO-) at a distance of about 36 miles or 29 miles it travels tho the west or east to get here from somewhere in St. Louis (MO), a suitcase with $ 99.840 and more (I suppose any evidence related to the insolved murder of someone named THORN) in a pit observation is after 2 croos, 651 steps and a loop in a area between pool 6, pool 7 and pool 10 (I prefer pool 6), and near a house number 35 (maybe this is the house next to a park entrance fees).
-----The number 74 links the CA. with the railroad that delimits. On March 13, 1974, Amtrak restored passanger train service over segments of Missouri Pacific-Texas and Pacific´s original "Texas Eagle" route between St. Louis, Little Rock, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and Laredo. (source: Wikipedia).Seems an important year.
It is a clue: that can get there by train. There are 3 paths go wherever you want (note 2, line 10).
Still working on it.
MCCORMICK THINK ABOUT THE WORL OF CRIME-note 2,line 15-16.
15-n MSE n RSE I n (x1) n TRLERCBR n SE n TSRCR6 n E
16-LS P n SE n G-S P SE mKSE R BSE n CBE AV XL R.
Translation, English shorthand:
15-And muse and raising awful and trail err would be are and this are craze and i...
16-...laze quit and see and gaze quit see make see busy and had been avenue come are.
Translation, English longhand version:
-And meditate on the increase in crime and people have followed the wrong path and i see this is crazy, and i..
-... stopped doing the bum and i intend to stop doing to see i´m busy on something and i intend to follow the good way as will be.
---A good reason to live or be killed.
bye.
---THE SPACECRAFT mars climate SENT BY NASA CRASHED ON MARS (september 23, 1999).
---The disaster was due to an error in the conversion to International System units to data that were suplied to the onboard computer.
Numbers note 2:
-36mLSE = 36 miles lose
-74 SPRK = 74 is quit rail, k=l by code cesar +1.
-SE 29 K E(look "epsilon" greek letter)= see 29 keep (to continue on)
-651 mT LSE=651 meter lose, meter= measuring instrument (and not "meter" as Metric System). mT = "steps" because is the easiest way to measure a distance.
-99.84. S 2 u E PLSE n c8se P OL TSE n SKSE n BSE = 99.840 $ to you i please and case quit all these and seek see and busy.
-35 GLE = 35 HOME by code Cesar +1 (G=H, L=M)
-(3XOhL)=(third coil-or coal-).
note2, line 10:
-36mLSE 74 SPRK SE 29 KE(epsilon) NO SOLE IT3RTRSE
-36 miles quit, 74 is quit rail, 29 keep, no sole it third rather see. (you can choose 3 paths).
-1/2 m un D PLSE = Half me yours and the please. D=THE by phonetics solution D="di" or "de"=THE.
to be continued.
-THE RAIN IN SPAIN STAYS MAINLY IN THE PLAIN (My Fair Lady)
---Here is the treasure map and the Mccormick´s shorthand notes transcribed to English:
http://prophecyexperimentalzone.blogspot.com/
Goodbye,i´m going on vacation.
The FBI is NOT giving out a reward and I can definately tell you that this isn't a "treasure map". Anyone doing this for money will surely be disappointed, so we will just have to resort to doing the right thing and using investigative techniques, rather than guessing Mr. McCormick's personality. People are not all "bad" or all "good". Yes, he has a revolting criminal offense. As a junior slueth and armchair detective, the one thing that you don't do is to judge this victim's life and character and wrap up in a month. You have to go with what has been given and the clues provided. I agree with the very early posting who said that they "hope to put this murderer away" and with the second posting that " there is no statutes of limitation for murder". As civilized people, we should be interested in solving the crime and not looking for money. If seeking for money, then, find another job. This case is apparently important and any guesses on this man's personality or using stereotypical imagery is not going to HELP the FBI. The FBI is a more serious agency and it would be ethically misleading if we go about inserting our own prejudices and screenplay/ movie plots and theories. This is a REAL crime and if it is difficult to view this human being as a human being, then a better suggestion to help us through this is to place ourselves in the situation and perhaps think of this person as a relative or a friend. It is shallow to discuss this as if it were a contest as the FBI clearly stated that they were not "recruiting" or "giving out rewards or treasures". It is not an Easter Egg hunt or a lotto, this is a crime and this is a REAL victim and obviously the FBI has the professionalism to care about this human being (for those who may view this differently than they ought). We should care as well and check our motives. None of us OWN this case unto ourselves and you can bet that the FBI is not going to solely give us the collar on this case as they have investigated a significant deal of this than we have. We are doing this as some sort of hobbie or reward seeking motive. THEY are trying to solve a HOMICIDE and they are asking for our help. Perhaps they are trying to weed out the person of interest who may hold the key to the 1st and "note" pages. We cannot go on and on about "drug dealing, UFOs or the drug cartel. Cases are just not deducted in this way and not every criminal is in a gang. This victim was in his 40s he would be a bit on the elder side to be running around like that. And can't we accept that there are people in are society that haven't finished school but may have a certain natural genius. If this person were a murdered CEO how then would our perspective appear? We cannot re-victimized this human being and since the FBI views McCormick as a human being, then we certainly ought to as well. Futhermore, I really do not understand where the suicide / drug theory continues to come into play when the FBI CLEARLY has stated that this is a MURDER which THEY would KNOW since they have the autospy results and findings, it isn't as though the cause of death was "unknown" and it is on reputable sources of the internet to describe the injuries. So, I would factor in that they know a heck of a LOT more and they have more than half way have figured this out and thus again they are asking for our help for THEIR reasons and not OURS. The Cryptoananalysis group did say that they are not dumb and that they have worked on this for many hours and have submitted this to more than one agency, so I would hazard that they pretty much KNOW what they are doing and that this is a part of their strategy for solving this crime. Also, think people, it is clear that McCormick did not know how to drive, so how did he end up in a corn field near ALton, IL and St. Louis Missouri? Okay, here is another clue, His body was DRIVEN there and not every thing is appearing as what it seems. That is one of the rules in law enforcement, nothing is what it seems, ever and assumptions will not find this man's killer. And for what ever this man has done , our job is not to discredit his character to to say childish things as such as "he deserved it". We do not know WHAT he deserved and can you imagine that the FBI probably regrets having placed this out there with all the crack pots and moronic and misleading theories that they have to follow? Let's be professional if we are going to actually help and not act so immature.
Rainmaker (I wish you would come to TX and make some rain)
Thank you for you serious input. You are right, it is not a game and I hope it doesn't appear to be one.
The interest in the case is purely curiosity and conjecture. Seriously, if the FBI can't solve the case, that makes it an extremely curious puzzle.
Solving puzzles often requires the use of "off the wall" ideas and theories.
It appears to be some one's interpretation. Whether or not it is the answer is anybody's guess.
Fran, I think it's plausible. We also need to embrace the possibility that there is no useful intelligence in the messages apart from evidence that he was nuts.
Ricky was probably very close to being one of those homeless people with bi-polar disorders and low education levels. I can see him being one step away from public commitment in a state run facility, so the code may very well be a childish make believe kind of language. I have my doubts of anyone being able to solve this case.
All along - my thought was that the reason the FBI is looking for answers is to solve possible related crimes. The FBI is a very busy agency and I doubt they would ask the public for no good reason - which makes it personally more interesting to me.
---Rainmaker, grabs a shovel and dig into the pit of bird watching. Seize the treasure and bring it to the FBI.
---The truth is out there...in Marais Temps Clair CA, home 35, 2 cross, 651 measures or steps, after a loop into the pit. This is "the big W".
---It´s a mad, mad, mad, mad world. Bye.
The skeleton is that of an alligator.
Whoa! That's scary. No one would expect an alligator in that place.
Hello.
+ Seven months ago i wrote MARAIS TEMPS CLAIR CA(mo) and 35 Home.
+ I have found the home with the number 35 in the predicted place aand this is his adress:
6035 Missouri 94, Portage des Sioux, MO 63373, united states.
+ My theory was that beside the north entrance of the Maraisa Temps Clair CA (MO) had a home with number 35 , and this house was located at a distance of 36 and 29 miles from Mccormick´s official residence in St. Louis, Missouri, 1400 Chouteau Avenue.
+ I used for this purpose Google maps, Google Earth and "Street View" (attention: Google recognizes that the measure of distance is a rough estimate and mccormick wrote this in 1999, there may be unexpected changes).
+ Anyone can view and verify the existence of this house for himself. I think this shows that my interpretation of the stenographic notes is correct and the transcription of Mccormick shorthand system is valid.
+ My theory:
-Mccormic stenographic notes tell us how we can find $ 99.840 and more ... hidden in a suitcase buried in Marais ... and must enter in that place by the side of the home 35 which is located at a distance of 36 and 29 miles from Mccormick´s home.
-Now you have to walk 651 steps from the north entrance to a bird watching site has been after the central curve (and you must avoid the Jupiter´s mistake, as in Poe´s short story "The Gold Bug") and pay attention to the presence of "corms" (three corms or tree corm).
+ I can no longer do anything. If the FBI wants to dig up the case or not , that is up to them.
I have finished my work. Good bye.
Greetings from Spain.
Well, you have certainly put plenty of time and effort into this. I hope someone sees it and solves the mystery. It would really be neat to find the money too, but I wouldn't brag or blog about that.
Thank you, Joseph for all your help!
Hello.(part one)
And the orphans?
What about the orphans of mccormick?
- A year ago, when I thought "XORLX" could mean "MCCORMICK", I had to wonder if "(3XORL)" could mean "3 Mccormick sons". He had 4 children, said the FBI, but there was an "X" ..... but could mean something like: Charly / Charles, Greg / Gregory, Ken / Kenneth, Marge / Margaret ....
- So I had 3 options at my disposal: "3XORL" =
+ 1rst-3 Mccormick, sons.
+ 2nd-3 Corm, a place.
+ 3rd-Tree Corm, a plant or tree.
+ But there was another strange thing: why there was no image of any member of the family of McCormick?
+ Nobody asked for justice or revenge?
+ In "You Tube" I have seen and read things about St. Louis that I did not like...
----Another kid shot in St. Louis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8hiRVLj4i4&feature
----St louis gangs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QacR8H5L6Wg&
feature=related
----Gangland Boys of destruction 1 - 5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRiAYr0pISM&feature
+ Mccormick's children might be dead, in jail, on the street or in Afghanistan with a purple heart in the chest.
+ They have rights that I will not complain.
Do you think they can wait another twelve years?
-End of Part One.
Hello.
Second part.
- Sometimes it is necessary to explain everything.
- When I discovered "marais" I thought then that the most correct interpretation of (3XORL) was "three corm" or "tree corm." Commonplace in a conservation area.
Is that all?
- No, sometimes you have to follow a strange way to see if you can get somewhere. I have had a dream.
- If something is bothering you this can be part of your dreams or nightmares. The dream begins:
+ A black girl falls and falls again. His mother can not prevent his fall, I nor I can stop, there is no evil but she falls to the ground.
+ I return to my house and I meet a man who asks me if I am one who seeks to Mccormick.
+ I'm going and he follows. He hurt himself hitting with two papers of two different colors. If I look at him i keep my distance. If I look not at him, he approaching to me.
+ Thus we come to my house. There are a few onlookers who take photographs but do not help me. The pursuer jump out my window and I look at what has happened in the street.
+ And i see the street is covered with snow, the hunter too, except that a corner of the street is a half-buried human figure.
- The explanation seems simple:
- A black girl sick relative to Mccormick (perhaps granddaughter) who needs help and everything will resolve when the sun's heat to melt the snow.
Now I look for a black girl who needs help.
End & Bye.
RealHousewife Level 8 Commenter 14 months ago
Austinstar - superb! This is super cool and so interesting! You always choose the coolest topics! I wish there was a tab for stupendous!
Great timeline and I can prove all that too:)
Awesome, awesome, awesome! I can't wait to see if someone solves it!