Last Updated on February 27, 2026
Ricky McCormick was a homicide victim whose body was discovered in Missouri on 30th June 1999.
The circumstances of his death and the mysterious notes collected at the scene make this a mysterious death.
This is due to the failure of decryption of the notes, the location of the body and the lack of motive for his murder.
Discovery of the body
The decomposed body of Ricky McCormick was discovered face down in West Alton, Missouri, near Route 367, on June 30th 1999.
A driver was driving in their car near Route 367 when they spotted the body.
He was identified by his fingerprints due to an earlier arrest and incarceration.
Investigation
Authorities were baffled by the murder as his body was discovered 15 miles away from his home.
His body was found in an isolated area.
He had no car at the time of his death, and buses did not serve the area.
No one knew who he had gotten to the area.
The only explanation was that he was transported there by a third party.
An autopsy at the time of the discovery failed to find the cause of death, declaring it as undetermined.
The police, however, suspected it was a homicide.
His time of death was concluded as the 27th June.
The investigation uncovered that his last known whereabouts was a visit to the Amoco gas station on 27th June.
He had also spoke to Sandra on the phone on 26th June.
Ricky visited St Louis Forest Park Hospital on 25th June.
Mysterious Notes
In 2011, it was announced that two handwritten documents were discovered in Ricky McCormick’s pockets.
They were released in a plea to the public to help them decrypt them.
The notes are coded with a cipher.
They have been attempted to be deciphered by multiple organisations including the Cryptanalysis and Racketeering Records Unit (CRRU) and the American Cryptogram Association.
The Ricky McCormick cypher remains unsolved to this day.
His family spoke out in 2012 to say that they did not believe that Ricky wrote the notes.
They didn’t think he had the capacity to craft a code.
His Father and Aunt believed that he was not a competent writer and may have been dyslexic.
She and his friends say he was known to write down nonsense notes.
Theories
Two years after the discovery, two more bodies were discovered in close proximity.
This led many to conclude that the area was a prime body dumping spot.
Many believe that the note contains details of a location and further instructions.
It may include information on who he was meeting with on the night of his murder.
His girlfriend, Sandra, told police that on trips to Florida, he was asked to bring back packages.
On more than one occasion, the packages contained drugs.
Ricky had returned from a two-day trip to Florida on the 17th June, 10 days before his murder.
He was said to be acting strangely on his return.
Other theories include that he was murdered by Juma and/or Baha Hamdallah, his employers at the Amoco gas station in downtown St Louis.
Both Juma and Baha were said to have a foul temper.
In August 1999, Juma shot Baha, although no charges were filed.
Both brothers were said to have connections to gangs in their areas.
They were said to possess several weapons and be involved in numerous shootings and assaults.
The book RICKY McCORMICK: The cipher That Killed A Man (AD*) covers all of the theories related to the case in detail.
Personal Life
Ricky McCormick had no fixed abode at the time of his death.
He was living at multiple addresses.
At the time of his death, he was working casual shifts at a gas station, in poor health and on disability.
Authorities struggled to find a motive for his murder.
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