by Grace Park
On June 30, 1999, a decomposing body was discovered in a Missouri cornfield. Fingerprints later identified the body as Ricky McCormick. McCormick was last seen five days prior to the discovery of his body at a hospital.
Because McCormick’s body was decomposing, accurate cause of the injuries found on his head are unobtainable. Furthermore, medical examiners could not conclude with certainty the cause of death or even if his death was a result of homicide. Twelve years after McCormick’s mysterious death, FBI has come public with new information.
The FBI revealed that two encrypted notes were found in the pockets of his pants. It is believed that these notes were written after his visit to the hospital and before his death. Even with the help from the Cryptanalysis and Racketeering Records Unite (CRRU) and from the American Cryptogram Association, these encrypted notes have yet to be decoded. The FBI has called in the public for help.
According to the FBI, breaking a code involves four basic steps:
- Determining the language used;
- Determining the system used;
- Reconstructing the key;
- And reconstructing the plaintext.
In this case, the language is English. The system used can vary between substituting the letters and rearranging the letters of the word. Reconstructing the key involves resolving how the code was applied to the encrypted notes. And lastly, one must translate the encrypted note into plaintext.
If you’re up for the challenge, you can suggest or give tips here.