The Circleville writer is a mysterious case that began in 1976 in Circleville, Ohio, where a couple, Mary and Ron Gillespie, received threatening and accusatory letters claiming Mary was having an affair with the school superintendent. The letters continued, and Ron died under suspicious circumstances in 1977. The investigation led to Paul Freshour, who was found with a gun that had been used in a booby trap, and he was sentenced to 7-24 years in prison.
However, many believe that Paul was not the Circleville writer, citing the fact that letters continued to be sent while he was in solitary confinement. Unsolved Mysteries covered the case in 1993 and discovered a new witness who saw a suspicious person and car near one of the booby traps, but this new information was not pursued by the police.
There are now three additional suspects being considered: the school superintendent, a coworker of Mary's who was infatuated with her, and Paul's ex-wife's new boyfriend, who matches the description of the person seen near the booby trap. The case remains unsolved, with many questions and theories still surrounding it.
1. There is a town in central Ohio called Circleville.
2. Circleville has a population of around 10,000 people.
3. The town hosts a pumpkin show every year since 1903.
4. In 1976, Mary Gillespie, a bus driver, received a letter accusing her of having an affair with the school superintendent.
5. The letter was postmarked from Columbus, Ohio, and had no return address.
6. Mary's husband, Ron, received a similar letter a week later.
7. Ron was told to confront Mary and get her to admit the truth, or his life would be in grave danger.
8. Ron received another letter, which said that if he didn't take action, his life would be in danger.
9. Ron decided to confront the person who was sending the letters and got into his pickup truck with a pistol.
10. Ron crashed into a tree and died shortly after.
11. The sheriff initially suspected foul play but later decided that Ron was drunk driving.
12. Ron's family denied that he drank, and his kids said he hadn't had anything to drink that day.
13. After Ron's death, hundreds of anonymous letters were sent to residents in central Ohio, accusing Mary of having an affair and the sheriff of covering up Ron's death.
14. The letters continued for years, with the writer claiming to be watching Mary and threatening to harm her.
15. In 1983, Mary admitted to having an affair with the superintendent, but the letters continued.
16. Mary found a booby-trapped sign on her bus route, which had a loaded gun attached to it.
17. The gun was traced back to Paul Freshour, Ron's brother-in-law.
18. Paul was found guilty of setting up the booby trap and was sentenced to 7-24 years in jail.
19. While Paul was in solitary confinement, more letters were sent, accusing the sheriff of covering up Ron's death.
20. Paul maintained his innocence until his death in 2012.
21. In 1993, the TV show "Unsolved Mysteries" covered the story and received a threatening letter from an anonymous person.
22. The show's staff and crew investigated the case and found a witness who claimed to have seen a yellow El Camino near the booby-trapped sign.
23. The witness described a man standing near the sign, who did not match Paul's description.
24. A journalist, Martin Yant, believes that Paul may not have been the writer and suggests three alternative suspects.
25. The case remains unsolved, with many questions still unanswered.