FBI asks public for help breaking encrypted notes tied to 1999 murder

[Dax101106]

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In what seems like a throwback to the still-unsolved Zodiac killings that terrorized the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1970s, the FBI has sent out a public appeal for amateur sleuths to help solve a key cryptographic clue in a 1999 murder case.

On June 30, 1999, police officers in St. Louis, Missouri found the body of 41-year-old Ricky McCormick, who'd been murdered and dumped in a field. The only clues investigators recovered from the scene were two encrypted notes stuffed into the victim's pockets.

"Despite extensive work by our Cryptanalysis and Racketeering Records Unit (CRRU), as well as help from the American Cryptogram Association, the meanings of those two coded notes remain a mystery to this day, and Ricky McCormick's murderer has yet to face justice," the FBI said in a press release today. CRRU chief Dan Olson added, "We are really good at what we do, but we could use some help with this one ... Maybe someone with a fresh set of eyes might come up with a brilliant new idea."

The FBI has reached out to the public with code breaking brain teasers in the past--but they were games, not actual cases. This is the chance for want-to-be FBI sleuths to break their brains on code that is part of a current investigation. The notes are after the jump.

Channel your favorite CSI character, folks. Here are the notes:





The bureau isn't offering any reward for assistance in solving the case at this time, but the FBI is asking people who believe they may have some insight into the notes write to the address below:

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

FBI asks public for help breaking encrypted notes tied to 1999 murder - Yahoo! News

[Dax101106]

Si kinsa tong mga genius ngari nga maka sabot ug 5 years old nga hand writings kay its time for you to shine...
hehehehehe...

[SioDenz]

paging ROBERT LANGDON

[Hammer_and_Sickle]

mao ni ang sinuwatan sa first generation sa jejemon

[myk101]

seeing the note without reading it gives me goosebumps..quite eerie after all those years and manhours. just curious.. was this message written by a lefty

[INFRACTION]

Cryptography students here is your assignment

[mangtoms]

basin wala jud cguro ni meaning

[yiennahs]

naa nay meaning wala lang ka kabaw haahaa

[personalmgt]

Someone from 4chan (/b/) got this interesting note

I have managed to decypher most of it. It takes time to go through it but I hope the below will help.

This is not a cypher. It is based on pronunciation. I am an English teacher and have recognised it.
The writer omits vowel sounds. As such, words such as would become WLD. BR is brought as ought is a vowel sound (mostly).
The vowel letters (which are sounded as constants as in CAT (cu ah t) are kept. He also abbreviates constantly. The below is a (mostly) translated text.
It´s a letter. I would email the FBI but there is no contact.
(MNDMXNEARSE-N-STA-KNARE)
Mind manners and stare knows are
*TFRNENPINSENPBSERCBBNSENPRSEINC
PRSENMRSEOPREHLDULDNCBE(TFXLFTCXLULBE)
AL-PRPPITXLYPPIYNCBEMGKSEINLDRCBRNSEPRSE
WLDRCBRNSENTSGNENTXSE-CRSLE-CITRSEWLDNCBE
would our see brought and sent assignment Excellency. Ceriously, site are
set. would and could be
ALWLPNCBETSMELRSERLSEURGLSNEASNWLDNCBE
A lowly punk bets me loser unless you are gkass any asian would and could be.
(NOPFSENLSRENCBE)NTEGDDMNSENCURERCBRNE
(TENETFRNENCBRTSENCBEINC)
(FLRSEPRSEONDE71NCBE)
Floors a person delin /71 - LEET (dealing) and could be
(CDNSEPRSEONSFE74NCBE)
Couldn(t) see person safely (74 - LEET) and could be
(PR+SEPRSEONREDE75NCBE)
Pr(add)? see person readily and could be
(TFNRCMSPSOLEMRDELUSETOTEWLDNINLDNCBE)
Telephoned our comm (SP) so let murder (L) you see to tea. Would and in
London could be.
(194WLD'SNCBE)(TRFXL)
19th April would have since been t(u)rrific
..

[peewee_toot]

this reminds me of the movie... national treasure...