1246: "The Notes in Ricky’s Pocket"
Interesting Things with JC #1246: "The Notes in Ricky’s Pocket" – They were found on a dead man with no ID. Thirty lines of strange letters. No pattern. No key. No solution. And still, two decades later, the code refuses to crack.
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Episode Anchor
Episode Title: The Notes in Ricky’s Pocket
Episode Number: #1246
Host: JC
Audience: Grades 9–12, college intro, homeschool, lifelong learners
Subject Area: Forensic Science, Cryptography, Media Literacy, Sociology
Lesson Overview
Students will:
Define what a cipher is and identify basic types of codes used in cryptography.
Compare expert theories on whether the McCormick notes represent gibberish, private code, or organized cryptography.
Analyze how law enforcement and citizen science intersect in cold cases.
Explain the significance of unresolved mysteries in an age of digital certainty.
Key Vocabulary
Cipher (ˈsī-fər) — A method of transforming a message to conceal its meaning; e.g., “The FBI believed Ricky’s notes might be a cipher.”
Cryptanalysis (krip-ˈta-nə-lə-səs) — The study of analyzing and solving codes; used to attempt decryption of the McCormick notes.
Decipher (di-ˈsī-fər) — To convert a text in code into normal language; students tried to decipher Ricky’s notes.
Racketeering (ˌra-kə-ˈtir-iŋ) — Dishonest and fraudulent business dealings; relevant to individuals associated with Ricky’s known connections.
Shorthand (ˈshȯrt-ˌhand) — A symbolic writing method used for speed; possibly what Ricky used in the notes.
Narrative Core (Based on the PSF – renamed labels)
Open – A mysterious set of notes found in a dead man’s pocket sparks intrigue.
Info – Background on Ricky McCormick’s life, death, and the FBI’s initial handling of the case.
Details – The peculiar structure of the notes, their cryptographic appearance, and the public effort to decode them.
Reflection – The enduring mystery highlights society’s desire to understand the unknowable and the limitations of modern forensics.
Closing – “These are interesting things, with JC.”
Transcript
For full Transcript See below
Student Worksheet
What were the circumstances surrounding the discovery of Ricky McCormick’s body?
Why did the FBI eventually release the McCormick notes to the public?
What are the key reasons experts believe the notes may not be gibberish?
Explain how Ricky’s background complicates the interpretation of the notes.
Create a brief theory (based in fact) about what the notes could represent.
Teacher Guide
Estimated Time: 1–2 class periods (45–60 minutes each)
Pre-Teaching Vocabulary Strategy:
Use word maps and student predictions based on root words (e.g., "cipher" → secret).
Introduce cryptography with simple code activities (Caesar cipher, Pigpen, substitution).
Anticipated Misconceptions:
Students may assume all unsolved codes are solvable.
They might believe formal education is required to create complex systems.
Misunderstanding mental illness in relation to logic and coherence.
Discussion Prompts:
Can a person with no formal training create an unbreakable code?
How do public and private efforts interact in solving cold cases?
What does this case say about recordkeeping and forgotten lives?
Differentiation Strategies:
ESL: Use visuals for vocabulary, offer simplified versions of the notes.
IEP: Provide audio options, guided worksheets, sentence starters.
Gifted: Have students attempt to create their own cipher and challenge peers.
Extension Activities:
Investigate the Zodiac cipher and its recent decoding.
Analyze how social media forums contribute to criminal investigations.
Write a short story from the perspective of a codebreaker trying to solve the notes.
Cross-Curricular Connections:
Computer Science: Encryption algorithms and cybersecurity basics.
Psychology: Mental health and perception in communication.
English Language Arts: Narrative structure and inference from limited data.
Quiz
Q1. What organization first attempted to decipher the McCormick notes?
A. NSA
B. CIA
C. FBI
D. Homeland Security
Answer: CQ2. When were the notes found in Ricky McCormick’s possession?
A. 2001
B. 1999
C. 1985
D. 2011
Answer: BQ3. What is a common term used to describe coded or encrypted writing?
A. Memoir
B. Cipher
C. Essay
D. Treaty
Answer: BQ4. What kind of structure did the McCormick notes contain that intrigued codebreakers?
A. Random scribbles
B. Poetry lines
C. Repeating clusters and symmetrical formatting
D. Lists of names
Answer: CQ5. What does the McCormick case most highlight?
A. The power of physical strength
B. The rise of digital media
C. The mystery of unsolved puzzles in modern times
D. The fall of the FBI
Answer: CAssessment
Do you believe the McCormick notes were a legitimate cipher or random symbols? Justify your position using details from the episode.
How does the story of Ricky McCormick challenge our assumptions about intelligence, mystery, and memory?
3–2–1 Rubric
3 = Accurate, complete, thoughtful response with evidence from the episode.
2 = Mostly accurate with some evidence, but missing deeper insight.
1 = Vague or inaccurate, lacks evidence or critical thought.
Standards Alignment
Common Core – ELA
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.1 — Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly and implicitly.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.C — Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.2 — Write informative texts to examine and convey complex ideas clearly.
C3 – Social Studies Framework
D1.3.9-12 — Identify the kinds of sources that will be helpful in answering compelling and supporting questions.
D2.His.14.9-12 — Analyze multiple and complex causes and effects in historical and contemporary events.
ISTE Standards for Students
1.3 Knowledge Constructor — Evaluate the accuracy, perspective, credibility, and relevance of information and sources.
1.7 Global Collaborator — Use digital tools to connect with learners from different backgrounds to explore local and global issues.
International Alignment (UK/IB/Cambridge)
AQA GCSE Computer Science 8525 — Understand the fundamentals of data representation including encryption.
IB MYP Individuals and Societies — Use inquiry to understand social issues, including the ethics and consequences of communication.
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Interesting Things with JC #1246: "The Notes in Ricky’s Pocket"
They were folded twice and tucked deep into the back pocket of a dead man’s pants—two stained sheets of lined paper. Ricky McCormick wasn’t known to many in life. But what he left behind has gripped codebreakers, the FBI, and anyone who still believes some mysteries don’t fade.
McCormick was 41 when his body was found on June 30, 1999, in a cornfield off Route 367, St. Charles County, Missouri—just over 20 miles (32 kilometers) northwest of St. Louis. No wallet, no injuries the public ever learned about. Just heat, decay, and a man lying in a field. His family hadn’t reported him missing. And law enforcement wasn’t actively looking for him.
But tucked in his pocket were two handwritten notes—each filled with capital letters, scattered parentheses, and lines that looked like word salad unless they were something else. The pages held over 30 lines of strange markings. To some, they seemed like nothing. To the FBI’s Cryptanalysis and Racketeering Records Unit, they looked like a cipher.
The Bureau logged the notes but kept them hidden. Until 2011, when the case went cold enough to warrant public help. The FBI issued a rare statement: “We are really good at what we do, but we could use some help with this one.”
And that’s when the wider world took notice.
The notes were posted online. Forums exploded. Cryptographers, amateur codebreakers, and retired intelligence officers began poring over what quickly became known as the McCormick Notes. The structure was eerily consistent. Repeating clusters like “WLD NCBE” and “SPRSE” appeared more than once. Formatting aligned with cipher symmetry—but it wasn’t any known code. Not Caesar, not Vigenère, not number substitution. Not anything simple.
Experts from the American Cryptogram Association and other groups confirmed: this wasn’t random scrawl. There was method. There was structure. And yet, no one could find the key.
Ricky McCormick had dropped out of high school. He was known to speak in made-up phrases and had a documented history of mental illness, including schizophrenia. He received Social Security disability benefits and never held a job long. His family said he could barely write a coherent sentence. And still, he may have created a cipher no one can solve.
There are two schools of thought. One says the notes are gibberish—random letters formed during delusion. The other says they were a private code, possibly related to drug movement or some kind of street-level communication. At the time of his death, Ricky had occasional ties to a gas station whose owners would later face federal charges for illegal sales and trafficking.
Was Ricky a courier? A message mule? A loose end?
Law enforcement never confirmed a link. No charges. No suspects. No official cause of death.
But even if the notes have no meaning, the pattern itself demands attention. Over two decades later, the McCormick Notes remain one of only two unsolved ciphers in FBI history. The other—known as the Zodiac’s 340-character cipher—was cracked in 2020 using layered transposition logic and language pattern modeling. It took over 50 years.
Ricky’s has outlasted all of that.
We live in a world where encrypted messaging is routine. Where codebreaking has become digitized, accelerated, and largely solved by software. And yet, a man who died with $0 in his pocket and no known formal education may have left behind something that defeats all modern tools.
Or maybe he didn’t.
Maybe it’s not a code. Maybe it’s a desperate ramble in a private shorthand. Maybe it’s noise. But the mind keeps turning. Because if there’s even a 1% chance it means something, someone out there wants to know what.
There’s something deeply human about that urge.
To understand what was meant. To finish the sentence of someone who couldn’t.
Whether it’s nonsense or genius, what Ricky McCormick left behind is a reminder of how many people die without clarity. That even in the age of digital certainty, there are still mysteries we can hold in our hands—and still not read.
Some men leave behind monuments. Some leave behind families. Ricky McCormick left two pages that nobody can translate. That’s not just a puzzle. It’s a story about how easy it is to vanish, even in a country built on record-keeping, law enforcement, and reason.
The strange thing is—those notes have now lasted longer than Ricky did.
These are interesting things, with JC.
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Show Notes
This episode explores the mysterious case of Ricky McCormick, whose death in 1999 revealed two cryptic notes that remain unsolved over two decades later. The story blends forensic science, mental health considerations, and cryptography to raise compelling questions about language, secrecy, and the edges of human understanding. It’s ideal for sparking discussion around mystery, codes, and the humanity behind cold cases. Students will learn how uncracked puzzles can inspire both science and empathy.
Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2011, March 29). Unusual murder victim: Ricky McCormick’s encrypted notes. FBI.gov. https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/help-solve-an-open-murder-case-part-2
