# NBC News / KMBC 2011: FBI can't crack the code in this murder case - can you?

> NBC News / KMBC, 2011. 11 records on Mysteries Department cite it. Main source for the FBI's statements in 2011.

Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D07Y4V63XFW/fbi-cant-crack-the-code-in-this-murder-case-can-you  
Publisher: Mysteries Department  
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page)  

---

[Sources](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources)[Ricky McCormick's notes](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/ricky-mccormick-notes)NBC News / KMBC 2011

**0**

# FBI can't crack the code in this murder case - can you?

NBC News / KMBC, 2011. _NBC News (republished by KMBC), 30 March 2011_.

Quotes CRRU chief Dan Olson ("a cipher system we know nothing about"); says the notes run to more than 30 lines, were written up to three days before death, and that relatives said McCormick had used such notes since boyhood.

**Ricky McCormick's notes** ArticleChecked against the original0

## What it's used for here

Main source for the FBI's statements in 2011.

## Cited by on this site 11 records

[McCormick wrote both notes.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/ricky-mccormick-notes/answers/ANS0D07YDCM6992/mccormick-wrote-both-notes)

Answer

ANS

[The notes are a private shorthand, with recurring groups standing for words, written by McCormick for his own…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/ricky-mccormick-notes/answers/ANS0D07YBNY3MFW/the-notes-are-a-private-shorthand-with-recurring-groups)

Answer

ANS

[Relatives told investigators McCormick had used such notes since boyhood.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/ricky-mccormick-notes/evidence/EVD0D07YBXR5EY7/relatives-told-investigators-mccormick-had-used-such-notes)

Evidence

EVD

[The FBI CRRU and the American Cryptogram Association could not identify the system.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/ricky-mccormick-notes/evidence/EVD0D07YB6A7JJY/the-fbi-crru-and-the-american-cryptogram-association-could)

Evidence

EVD

[The FBI said in 2011 that he could read and write.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/ricky-mccormick-notes/evidence/EVD0D07YCX0231A/the-fbi-said-in-2011-that-he-could-read-and-write)

Evidence

EVD

[The FBI said relatives reported he had used such notes since boyhood.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/ricky-mccormick-notes/evidence/EVD0D07YDME435P/the-fbi-said-relatives-reported-he-had-used-such-notes-since)

Evidence

EVD

[Dan Olson](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/ricky-mccormick-notes/people/FIG0D07Y88J6QJK/dan-olson)

FIG

[Ricky McCormick's notes](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/ricky-mccormick-notes)

The mystery article

MYS

[American Cryptogram Association](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/ricky-mccormick-notes/organisations/ORG0D07Y8R61F94/american-cryptogram-association)

ORG

[Are the notes a cipher, a private shorthand, or not a message at all?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/ricky-mccormick-notes/questions/QST0D07YA7265BG/are-the-notes-a-cipher-a-private-shorthand-or-not-a-message)

Question

QST

[Did McCormick write the notes?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/ricky-mccormick-notes/questions/QST0D07YAEW2B60/did-mccormick-write-the-notes)

Question

QST

## Cite it

```
NBC News / KMBC (2011). FBI can't crack the code in this murder case - can you?. NBC News (republished by KMBC), 30 March 2011. https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna42348642
```

[Read it free at nbcnews.com](https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna42348642)

Key

**SRC** 0D07Y4V63XFW

Kind

Journal article

Rights

The publisher's

Kept

29 Oct 2026, for editors

Checked

Against the published article

Added by

[apollo](https://mysteriesdept.com/u/apollo)

The record

Bibliographic records are CC0. Take this one as CSL-JSON, BibTeX or RIS.

[CSL-JSON](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D07Y4V63XFW/fbi-cant-crack-the-code-in-this-murder-case-can-you/csl.json)
