The Circleville Letters: UNMASKING the Mystery of Ohio's Most Bizarre Crime

If you think small-town drama starts and ends with PTA feuds and bake sale rivalries, think again. In the 1970s, the sleepy town of Circleville, Ohio, became the epicenter of a bizarre and unsettling mystery. Anonymous letters, cryptic warnings, and even attempted murder turned this quiet community into a real-life whodunit that would leave Agatha Christie scratching her head.

This is the tale of the Circleville Letters—a case so bizarre, it’s part soap opera, part psychological thriller, and 100% unsolved. Get ready, because things are about to get weird.

It All Starts with a Letter

In 1976, Circleville residents began receiving anonymous letters that aired their dirty laundry in shocking detail. No one was safe—teachers, politicians, and everyday citizens were called out for alleged affairs, corruption, and other skeletons in their closets. These letters weren’t just idle gossip; they were venomous, meticulously written, and often disturbingly accurate.

The first major target of these letters was Mary Gillispie, a local school bus driver. The anonymous writer accused Mary of having an affair with Gordon Massie, the school superintendent. Mary denied the allegations, but the letters kept coming, warning her to end the supposed affair or face dire consequences.

From Letters to Threats

The letters weren’t just irritating—they were threatening. One particularly chilling letter warned Mary that her life was at stake if she didn’t comply. The writer knew intimate details about her life, which led many to believe the perpetrator was someone she knew personally.

Then, in 1977, the situation escalated. Mary’s husband, Ron Gillispie, received a letter demanding he confront Gordon Massie about the alleged affair. Not long after, Ron received a mysterious phone call—believed to be from the letter writer—and stormed out of the house, gun in hand. Hours later, Ron’s car was found crashed into a tree, and he was dead.

Here’s where it gets strange: Ron’s gun had been fired, though not at him, and his blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit, which his family insisted was out of character. The death was ruled an accident, but many suspected foul play.

Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs

The letters didn’t stop after Ron’s death. In fact, the writer doubled down, targeting Mary, Gordon Massie, and eventually, other residents of Circleville. At one point, the anonymous tormentor started putting up threatening signs along Mary’s bus route.

In 1983, Mary decided she’d had enough. When she saw a particularly threatening sign about her daughter, she pulled over to tear it down. That’s when she discovered it was rigged with a booby trap—yes, an actual booby trap—designed to fire a gun at her. Fortunately, the trap malfunctioned, and Mary escaped unharmed.

A Suspect Is Named

The discovery of the booby trap led to a major break—or so it seemed. The gun used in the trap was traced back to Paul Freshour, Mary’s brother-in-law. Paul denied any involvement, but he was arrested, and during a search of his home, police found materials they claimed matched the handwriting of the letters.

Paul was convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to prison in 1983. Case closed, right? Not so fast.

Who most likely wrote the disturbing Circleville Letters

The Letters Keep Coming

Even after Paul was behind bars, the letters continued. Hundreds of them, in fact, and they were postmarked from locations where Paul couldn’t possibly have been. Despite this, authorities insisted Paul was somehow responsible, even though they couldn’t explain how.

Paul maintained his innocence until his death, and many residents of Circleville believed him. Some suspected a conspiracy, while others thought the real writer was still at large, laughing at their success in evading justice.

Theories and Suspects

The Circleville Letters mystery has spawned countless theories over the years. Here are some of the most popular ones:

1. Paul Freshour Did It

The simplest explanation is that Paul was guilty, and he managed to continue sending letters from prison with the help of an accomplice. But this theory doesn’t explain why the letters were postmarked from locations far from Paul’s incarceration.

2. A Family Feud Gone Wild

Some believe the letters were the work of multiple people, possibly members of Mary Gillispie’s extended family. The intricate details in the letters suggest the writer had inside knowledge of Mary’s life, fueling speculation that it was someone close to her.

3. A Lone Wolf With a Grudge

Another theory is that the letters were written by a single person with a vendetta against Mary, Gordon Massie, or the community as a whole. This person might have had no direct connection to Paul Freshour but saw his conviction as a convenient scapegoat.

4. It Was All a Hoax

Some skeptics argue the entire case was exaggerated or even fabricated by the residents of Circleville. But with so many letters and the attempted murder, this theory feels like a stretch.

Unsolved and Unnerving

Despite decades of investigation, the Circleville Letters mystery remains unsolved. The letters stopped in 1994, shortly after Paul Freshour’s release from prison, but the scars they left on the community are still fresh.

Who was the anonymous writer? What was their motive? And why did they target Mary Gillispie and others so relentlessly? These questions linger, making the Circleville Letters one of America’s strangest unsolved cases.

Why This Mystery Matters

The Circleville Letters aren’t just a tale of small-town gossip gone nuclear—they’re a chilling reminder of the power of anonymity. In an age where cyberbullying and anonymous threats are all too common, the story feels eerily relevant.

So the next time you’re tempted to send a snarky anonymous note (or email), remember the chaos unleashed in Circleville. You might not start a decades-long mystery, but you could end up in a rabbit hole of drama you’ll regret.

Until then, Circleville’s secrets remain buried, and the identity of its mysterious letter writer remains one of the great enigmas of true crime lore.