THE UNSOLVED MYSTERY OF THE CIPHER IN THE CORN: The Mysterious True Crime Murder of Ricky McCormick

A man is found dead in a Missouri cornfield — and in his pocket, a mysterious handwritten cipher so baffling that even the FBI still can’t crack it. Join the DARKNESS SYNDICATE: https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate ABOUT WEIRD DARKNESS: Weird Darkness is a true crime and paranormal podcast narrated by professional award-winning voice actor, Darren Marlar. Seven days per week, Weird Darkness focuses on all thing strange and macabre such as haunted locations, unsolved mysteries, true ghost stories, supernatural manifestations, urban legends, unsolved or cold case murders, conspiracy theories, and more. On Thursdays, this scary stories podcast features horror fiction along with the occasional creepypasta. Weird Darkness has been named one of the “Best 20 Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal. Listeners have described the show as a cross between “Coast to Coast” with Art Bell, “The Twilight Zone” with Rod Serling, “Unsolved Mysteries” with Robert Stack, and “In Search Of” with Leonard Nimoy. DISCLAIMER: Ads heard during the podcast that are not in my voice are placed by third party agencies outside of my control and should not imply an endorsement by Weird Darkness or myself. *** Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised. IN THIS EPISODE: We explore the unsolved murder of Ricky McCormick, and the mysterious pages of code found in the dead man’s pocket after his body was discovered in St. Charles County, Missouri, in 1999. The FBI’s top cryptanalysts have appealed to the public for help deciphering the enigmatic scribbles—and you may hold the key. SOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE… “Cipher In The Corn” written by Stu Wahlin for Weird Darkness: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/hstndhs If you have info that could help solve the Ricky McCormick case, visit https://forms.fbi.gov/code ; you can also write to: FBI Laboratory Cryptanalysis and Racketeering Records, Unit 2501 Investigation Parkway, Quantico VA 22135 - Attention: Ricky McCormick Case ===== ( Over time links seen above may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases. ) = = = = = "I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46 = = = = = WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness. ===== Originally aired: November, 2016 EPISODE PAGE at WeirdDarkness.com (includes list of sources): https://weirddarkness.com/CipherInTheCorn