The FBI needs our help...

[TurtleCrusher]

Decrypt this message please?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelo...-breaking-encrypted-notes-tied-to-1999-murder

Wouldn't a computer be able to decrypt this with a library reference almost instantly?

 

[Printer Bandit]

i think i figured it out.

 

[Printer Bandit]

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

Perhaps it's just psychotic jibberish? Or maybe some secret language he made up with a friend in 3rd grade...

Or maybe an ATOTer with a ridiculous version of OMGWTFBBQLOL!!!

 

[TurtleCrusher]

Perhaps it's just psychotic jibberish? Or maybe some secret language he made up with a friend in 3rd grade...

Or maybe an ATOTer with a ridiculous version of OMGWTFBBQLOL!!!

That made me LOL. What if...

 

[MikeMike]

Perhaps it's just psychotic jibberish? Or maybe some secret language he made up with a friend in 3rd grade...

Or maybe an ATOTer with a ridiculous version of OMGWTFBBQLOL!!!

so, the key to murdering someone and getting away with it, is to just jot down letters in a random way, make it look important, and leave it near the victim...

 

[Printer Bandit]

try to decrypt this...

OMGHI2UBBQROFLOLOLWWYBYWBHI2UFTFYASLIMHOWTFWTHOMGHI2UBBQROFLOLOLWWYBYWBHI2UFTFYASLIMHOWTFWTHOMGHI2UBBQROFLOLOLWWYBYWBHI2UFTFYASLIMHOWTFWTHOMGHI2UBBQROFLOLOLWWYBYWBHI2UFTFYASLIMHOWTFWTHOMGHI2UBBQROFLOLOLWWYBYWBHI2UFTFYASLIMHOWTFWTHOMGHI2UBBQROFLOLOLWWYBYWBHI2UFTFYASLIMHOWTFWTHOMGHI2UBBQROFLOLOLWWYBYWBHI2UFTFYASLIMHOWTFWTHOMGHI2UBBQROFLOLOLWWYBYWBHI2UFTFYASLIMHOWTFWTHOMGHI2UBBQROFLOLOLWWYBYWBHI2UFTFYASLIMHOWTFWTHOMGHI2UBBQROFLOLOLWWYBYWBHI2UFTFYASLIMHOWTFWTHOMGHI2UBBQROFLOLOLWWYBYWBHI2UFTFYASLIMHOWTFWTHOMGHI2UBBQROFLOLOLWWYBYWBHI2UFTFYASLIMHOWTFWTH

 

[Born2bwire]

Be...sure...to...drink....your...oval...Ovaltine?

A crummy commercial?

 

[grrl]

The request could also be a way to try to smoke out the killer, hoping he/she responds.

EDIT: FWIW, one of the comments reads:

Just an observation: many of the people who have commented seem to assume that the notes were written by the killer – they were not. The notes were written by the VICTIM, Ricky McCormick. His family confirmed that McCormick has been writing notes similar to these since he was a young man, but none of them knows what the notes mean or how to decipher them. McCormick, btw, had a modest education (never finished high school), had no background in mathematics or logic, and as far as I know, wasn’t intellectually gifted. The code is most likely something very personal. The FBI is hoping that deciphering the notes gives them an idea of McCormick’s whereabouts and activities during the days immediately prior to his death. I found these details at the FBI website and thought they might be useful to those of you who are trying to decipher the notes.

 

[Minjin]

Bah, the Beale ciphers are much more interesting. At least with those, you get treasure:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beale_ciphers

 

[Jeffg010]

Funny This ring seems to decode that message.

 

[TurtleCrusher]

Bah, the Beale ciphers are much more interesting. At least with those, you get treasure:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beale_ciphers

Do you mean, Jessica Beil ciphers?

http://www.imgbase.net/images/jessica_biel-7.jpg

 

[CPA]

Be...sure...to...drink....your...oval...Ovaltine?

A crummy commercial?

+1

 

[FM2n]

Ok, so I was jerking around with the contents. Someone was kind enough to type it out onto a word document. See below for my observation. Still need your input on this..

Document 1

ALPNTE GLSE-SE ERTE
VLSE MTSE-CTSE-WSE-FRTSE
PNRTRSE ONDRSEWLD NCBE
NWLDZLRCMSPNEWLDSTSMEXL
DULMT6TUNSE NCBEXC
(MUNSAISTENMUNARSE)
KLSE-LRSTE-TRSE-TRSE-MKSEN-MRSE
(SAE6NSE SE NMBSE)
NMNRCBRNSEPTE2PTEWSREBKNSE
26MLSE74SPRKSE29KENOSOLE173RTRSE
356LE CLGSEOUNUTKEDKRSE PSESHLE
651MTCSEHTLSENCUTCTRS NMRE
99.84.5 5UNEPLSENCRSEADLTSENSKSENBSE
NSREONSE PVTSEWLDNCBE (3XORL)
NMSENRSEIN2NTRLERCBRNSENTSRCRBNE
LSPNSENGSPSEMKSEKBSEPCBEAVXL’R
HMCRENMREFCBE 1/2MUNDPLSE
D-W-M14HIL XDRLX
-----------------------------------

Document 2

(MNDMKNEARSE-N-S-M-KNARE)
TFRHENPINSENPBSERCBBNSENPRSEINC
PRSENMRSE DPREHLDWLDNCBE(TFXLFTCXLNCBE)
AL-PRPPITXLYPPIYNCBE MGKSEWCDRCBRNSEPRSE
WLDRCBRNSE NTSSHENTXSE-CRSLE-CLTRSEWLDNCBE
ALWLDNCBETSMELRSERLSEURGLNEASNWLDNCBE
(NOPFSENLSRENCBE)NTEGDDMNSENCURERCBRNE
(TENETFRNE NCBRTSENCBEING)
(FLRSEPQSEONDE71NCBE)
(CDNSEPRSEONSDE74NCBE)
(BRTSEPRSEONREDE75NCBE)
(TFNQCMSPSOLEMRDELUSE TOTEWLDN1HLDNCBE)
(194WLD’SNCBE)(TRFXL)
=========================================

I searched for repeating combinations of letters within the document which could make up words that are used more than once and spaced them out appropriately. Hopefully if we can figure out a word, then it would help decypher the rest of the document.

Document 1

AL PN TE GL SE - SE ER TE
VL SE MT SE -CT SE -W SE -FRT SE
PN RTR SE ON DR SE WLD NCBE
N WLD ZLRCMS PN E WLD S TSM E xl
DULMT6TUN SE NCBE XC
(MUN SAIS TE N MUN AR SE )
KL SE -LRS TE -TR SE -TR SE -MK SE N-MR SE
(SAE6N SE SE NM B SE )
N MN RCBRN SE P TE 2P TE W S RE B KN SE
26ML SE 74 SP RK SE 29 KE NO SO LE 173RTR SE
356 LE CL G SE OUNUT KE DKR SE P SE SH LE
651MTC SE HTL SE NCUTCTRS NM RE
99.84.5 5U NE PL SE NCR SE ADLT SE NSK SE N B SE
N S RE ON SE PVT SE WLD NCBE (3X OR L)
NM SE NR SE IN2NTR LE RCBRN SE NTS RCRB NE
LS PN SE NG SP SE MK SE K B SE PCBEAV xl ’R
HMC RE NM RE FCBE 1/2 MUN DPL SE
D-W-M14HIL XDRLX
-----------------------------------

Document 2

(MN DMK NE AR SE -N-S-M- KN A RE )
TF R HEN PIN SE NP B SE RCBBN SE NPR SE INC
PR SE NMR SE DP RE HLD WLD NCBE ( TF xl FTC xl NCBE )
AL -PR PP IT xl Y PP IY NCBE MGK SE WCD RCBRN SE P R SE
WLD RCBRN SE NTS S HEN TX SE -CRS LE - CL TR SE WLD NCBE
AL WLD NCBE TSM ELR SE RL SE URGL NE ASN WLD NCBE
( NO PF SE NL S RE NCBE )N TE GDD MN SE RE RCBR NE
( TE NE TF R NE NCBRT SE NCBE ING)
(FLR SE PQ SE ON DE71 NCBE )
(CDN SE PR SE ON SDE74 NCBE )
(BRT SE PR SE ON RE DE75 NCBE )
( TF NQ CM SP SO LE MRDELU SE TO TE WLD N1 HLD NCBE )
(194 WLD ’S NCBE )(TRF xl )

 

[darkxshade]

I've cracked it, it was a suicide by a person who hates forensic analysts.

 

[KMc]

There seems to be a lot of the 'SE' combination.

Also repeated in several places:
NCBE
WLD
CBRN

Since these patterns repeat themselves in both documents, it would imply it is a fixed cypher, not a rolling code of any sort.

 

[sip99sma]

I have been playing with the repitition (and broken repitition) in this
see http://www.themakingspace.co.uk/McCormick.pdf
for my pretty coloured in version

I have an idea that the important parts would be the ones that don't repeat so much, perhaps the repitition is filler to be discarded or punctuation or some such?

 

[alkemyst]

Wish they'd share more of the puzzle as in his whereabouts, etc.

 

[conculascc]

Its pretty remarcable that if you take every word ending with an E, and you group them, you only get groups that finish with this letters> (they have like an order)

be ce de
le me ne
re se te
we


ncbe ucbe
mrce
onde nsde
psle shle sole
beme tsme
nune frne brne tene rbne lsne
nare bpre lsre cure vtre nmre nsre ntre
mrse lnse prse rnse ekse ntse xtse trse lrse rlse pfse rtse ylse mtse ctse arse
mkse bnse sese cese lgse krse plse skse onse utse nmse nrse rnse pnse spse rbse
tswe

 

[CurseTheSky]

I don't know if I completely agree with the Word document that someone else posted. Mine could be completely wrong (Hell, we both could be), but here's my interpretation, since the handwriting is very bad and hard to discern. The biggest thing that's tripping me up is the spaces; I don't know if they're supposed to be interpreted or not.

P1

(MNDMKNEMRSE-N-S-M-KNARE)<__________> (ACSM)
TFRNENPINSENPRSERCBBNSEAPRSEINC
PRSE NMRSE DPREHLDNLDNCBECTFXLFTCXLNCBE)
AL-PRPPITXLYPPIYNCBEMEKSEWCDRCBRNSEPRSE
WLDPCBRNSE NTOGNENTXSE-CRSLE-CTTRSEWLDNCBE
ALWCPNCBETSMELRSERLSEURGLSNEASNWLDNCBE
(NOPFSENLSRENCBE)NTEGDDMNSENCUBEROBRNE
<___>(TENE TFRNE NCBRTSENCBE ING)
<__________>(FLRSE PRSEONDE71 NCBE)
<__________>(CDNSEPRSEONSBE 71 NCBE)
<__________>(PRTSEPRSEONREDE 75 NCBE)
(TF NRCMSP SOLE MRDE LUSE TOTE WLD N WLDNCBE)
<__________________>(194 WLD'S NCBE) (TRFXC7

The last character is either a 7 or a closing parenthesis, but it looks more like a 7 in the note (maybe a way to trip people up?) <____>'s were added for spacing.

The biggest clue that I can see is "NCBE" - especially how it ends a good number of lines or inside several sets of parenthesis.

Edit:

Commonly repeating:
- NCBE
- RSE
- PRSE
- WLD (note the second to last line, which has WLDNWLD)

 

[TheVrolok]

Hmm

 

[The Boston Dangler]

Do you mean, Jessica Beil ciphers?

http://www.imgbase.net/images/jessica_biel-7.jpg

me likey!

 

[Leros]

Is the FBI going to release their work? It would be a huge waste if people were repeating the same work that had already been done.

 

[sip99sma]

since the idea is to get this looked at by 'fresh eyes', releasing their work would be counter productive!

 

[sip99sma]

A key question might be why is there such a large amount of repetition? what sort of data or cipher would lead to that?

possible answers:
repetitive data with a fixed cipher
single letters being represented by a group of letters
groups of letters being used as markup to deliminate the actual data
cipher text being obfuscated with ignorable sequences

...and I'm sure there are more!