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Small Town, Big Secrets: The Chilling Circleville Letter Mystery That Stunned Ohio

It’s spooky season so we’re taking a deep dive into one of Ohio’s creepiest unsolved mysteries: the Circleville Letter Writer.

I’m a sucker for a good mystery and this one has it all- a small town, creepy letters, scandal, and a mystery that’s remained unsolved for decades.

Circleville, Ohio, is a small town about 30 miles south of Columbus. It’s got that quintessential Midwestern charm with its annual Pumpkin Show, quiet streets, and a vibe that makes you think, “Nothing crazy ever happens here.” But in the 1970s, something very crazy did happen.

Over the course of several years, the residents of Circleville were terrorized by a mysterious letter writer. The author seemed to know everything about everyone and wasn’t exactly shy about sharing it. The letters began arriving in 1976, targeting a school bus driver named Mary Gillispie. But soon, the letter writer expanded their reach, threatening and accusing people all over town.

The Start of the Letters

first letter written to mary Gillispie
The first letter received by Mary Gillispie.

Mary Gillispie received an anonymous letter accusing her of having an affair with Gordon Massie, the superintendent of schools. In the letter, the writer threatened Gillispie that if she didn’t stop the affair, she’d face dire consequences. The letter was packed with personal details, suggesting the writer knew intimate facts about Mary’s life. Soon, her husband, Ron Gillispie, also started to recieve letters, urging him to put an end to Mary’s supposed affair.

One letter to Mary read,

“Lady:

This is your last chance to report him: I know you are a pig and will prove it and shame you out of Ohio: A pig sneaks around and meets other womens husbands behind their backs, causes families and homes and marriages to suffer:”

At first, Mary and Ron decided not to go to the police. They wanted to try to handle the matter privately, initially brushing it off as a prank or someone with a personal vendetta against them. But when the situation escalated, they knew they couldn’t stay quiet about it much longer. Soon, the letters appeared plastered around town. Then more aggressive threats started showing up.

Ron Gillispie’s Death

In August of 1977, Ron got a phone call at his home that shook him. According to his children, he got his gun and left the house, claiming that he was heading out to confront the mysterious letter writer. Shortly after, Ron Gillispie was found dead in his car, which had crashed into a tree. The cause of death was ultimately ruled an accident, but family members and other people in Circleville weren’t convinced. Ron had a high blood alcohol content at the time of his death, something that his family swore wasn’t possible.

The letters continued to arrive, pointing fingers and causing suspicion amongst residents.

Paul Freshour: The Suspected Writer

The Circleville letter writer shifted focus in 1983, and Mary Gillispie became the target of a more direct attack. While Mary was driving her bus route, she saw a sign along the road accusing her daughter of being involved in a scandal. When she pulled over to tear it down, she noticed a bit of twine going from the sign to a box. Inside the box was a loaded gun, rigged to fire when the sign was pulled. Thankfully, the trap malfunctioned, sparing Mary from physical harm.

The police began to investigate further and that investigation lead them to Mary’s brother-in-law, Pal Freshour. Paul’s relationship with his wife was tense and some believed that hew as writing the letters as a way to get back and her and her family. Paul denied any involvement, but eventually he was arrested once police were able to link him to the gun used in the incident. He was sentenced to 7 to 25 years in prison for attempted murder in 1983.

But here’s the kicker: the letters didn’t stop.

Even while Paul was behind bars, people in Circleville continued to receive the chilling letters, including one letter that Paul himself recieved. To be certain that Paul wasn’t the author, the prison even launched an investigation, confirming that he couldn’t have been sending them. So if it wasn’t Paul, who was it?

The Unsolved Mystery

Paul Freshour was eventually released from prison and he maintained his innocence until his death in 2012. The Circleville letters stopped in 1994 but have remained one of Ohio’s most perplexing mysteries. The writer knew too many details that only those closely involved could know, from relationships to secret family matters.

The mystery didn’t just captivate Ohioans. The case has been featured on Unsolved Mysteries and most recently, 48 Hours. During the 48 Hours investigation, an independent analysis of the letters was done by forensic document expert Beverley East. She studied some of the anonymous letters along with some of Paul Freshour’s handwriting, pointing out how unique the ltter “G” was. It convinced her that she knows who is responsible and going as far as to state “I would go into court and swear on the Bible on the evidence I found.”

Circleville has since moved on from those unsettling years, but the legacy of the letter writer lingers. It’s one of those small-town stories that feels ripped straight from a true crime novel. To this day, the identity of the Circleville letter writer remains unconfirmed by law enforcement, leaving plenty of room for speculation.

Featured image showing Main Street in Circleville via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.