In the quiet town of Circleville, Ohio, a sinister campaign of anonymous letters began terrorizing residents in 1976. These handwritten notes, penned in distinctive block lettering and postmarked from Columbus, contained intimate details about their recipients' private lives. The anonymous writer demonstrated an unsettling knowledge of the community, targeting individuals with revelations that threatened to destroy reputations, careers, and families.

School superintendent Gordon Massey and bus driver Mary Gillespie found themselves at the center of this growing scandal, with letters accusing them of having an affair. As the harassment escalated from letters to phone calls and public signs, Mary and her husband Ron sought help from family members. The situation took a tragic turn in August 1977 when Ron, determined to confront the letter writer, died in a suspicious car accident shortly after receiving a threatening phone call. Despite over a thousand letters being sent over two decades, the identity of Circleville's anonymous writer remained elusive.

Key Takeaways

Anonymous letters containing private information terrorized Circleville residents beginning in 1976, exposing secrets that damaged careers and relationships.
School superintendent Gordon Massey and bus driver Mary Gillespie became central targets of accusations that quickly escalated from letters to phone calls and public signs.
The harassment led to tragedy when Mary's husband Ron died under suspicious circumstances while attempting to confront the letter writer.

The Circleville Mystery

In the quiet town of Circleville, Ohio during the late 1970s, residents began receiving disturbing anonymous letters that revealed intimate details about their private lives. This rural community of about 13,000 people, located 25 miles south of Columbus, was transformed from a place where "nobody locks their doors" to one plagued by fear and suspicion. The anonymous writer sent over a thousand letters across two decades, causing devastation to jobs, marriages, and sometimes lives. Despite extensive investigation, the identity of the letter writer remains unknown to this day.

The Anonymous Letter Campaign

Beginning in 1976, Circleville residents started finding strange handwritten letters in their mailboxes. These mysterious communications were always postmarked from Columbus and written in distinctive block lettering. The letters contained surprisingly accurate information about recipients' personal lives, suggesting the writer had intimate knowledge of the town's residents and their secrets. No return address was ever included, but the level of detail made it clear this was someone familiar with the community's inner workings.

Gordon Massey's Threatening Letters

Gordon Massey, who served as superintendent of Westfall Schools in Circleville, became an early target of the anonymous writer. On March 3, 1977, Massey arrived at work to find a letter accusing him of inappropriate behavior with female bus drivers. The letter warned him to stop his alleged advances or face consequences.

Additional messages followed with escalating threats, including one warning that the writer would cut the brake lines in Massey's car if he didn't end his supposed extramarital affairs. The school board also received correspondence demanding Massey's termination, though he denied all allegations and kept his position due to lack of evidence. Most notably, one letter referenced a specific employee by their ID number (62917) rather than by name—information only someone with inside knowledge of the school system would possess.

Mary Gillespie's Anonymous Correspondence

The employee identified as 62917 was Mary Gillespie, a school bus driver with a seemingly ordinary life. A mother of two who was described by friends as attentive and loving, Mary received her first anonymous letter in March 1977. The message warned her to "stay away from Massey" and mentioned that the writer had been observing her home and knew about her children.

Instead of alerting her husband Ron immediately, Mary kept the letters to herself as they continued arriving with increasingly threatening content. The situation escalated when the writer contacted Ron directly, describing an alleged affair between Mary and Massey while threatening violence if Ron didn't address the situation. When confronted, Mary denied any relationship with Massey but admitted she had been receiving similar letters.

The harassment intensified beyond written communication. The couple began receiving threatening phone calls, and signs appeared throughout town repeating the accusations. The situation took a tragic turn on August 19, 1977, when Ron, determined to confront the letter writer after a disturbing phone call, drove off with his pistol. His truck crashed into a tree just miles from his home, resulting in his death. Sheriff Dwight Radcliffe noted peculiar circumstances at the accident scene—Ron's gun had been fired, but no bullet or bullet hole was ever found.

The People of Circleville

In the late 1970s, Circleville, Ohio experienced a series of anonymous letters that upended the lives of several residents. This small town of approximately 13,000 people, located 25 miles south of Columbus, was the quintessential rural American community where residents generally felt safe and neighbors were familiar with one another.

Mary Gillespie's Story

Mary Gillespie lived a seemingly ordinary life as a school bus driver, mother, and wife in Circleville. In March 1977, she became a target of anonymous threatening letters that arrived in her mailbox. The letters, written in distinctive block lettering, accused her of having an affair with Gordon Massey, the school superintendent.

The writer demonstrated intimate knowledge of Mary's life, including:

Her employee number (62917)
Her home address
The school bus she drove
Details about her husband and children

Despite the increasingly threatening nature of these communications, Mary initially kept them to herself. The harassment escalated when the anonymous writer began calling the Gillespie home, further terrorizing the family.

Ron Gillespie's Tragic Involvement

Ron Gillespie, Mary's husband, became entangled in the situation when he received his own letters from the anonymous writer. These letters directly accused his wife of infidelity and contained threats against Ron himself. The writer demonstrated detailed knowledge of Ron's life, including:

His workplace
His vehicle (a red and white pickup truck)
His daily routines

When confronted, Mary denied any affair with Gordon Massey but admitted she had been receiving similar threatening letters. The couple initially tried to ignore the harassment, but the situation escalated with signs appearing around town making accusations about Mary.

On August 19, 1977, after receiving a threatening phone call, Ron grabbed his pistol and left home in his truck, determined to confront the writer. Tragically, he never returned. His vehicle crashed into a tree just miles from his home, and he was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. Sheriff Dwight Radcliffe noted strange circumstances at the scene: Ron's gun had been fired, but no bullet or bullet hole was found—only an empty casing.

Growing Intimidation Campaign

Rising Danger for the Gillespie Family

The harassment escalated dramatically following Ron and Mary's decision to confront the situation. After the initial letters targeting Mary and Gordon Massey, the anonymous writer began making direct threats against the Gillespie family. The intimidation tactics evolved from merely exposing alleged secrets to explicit threats of violence.

Phone calls began supplementing the written harassment. The caller would describe personal details about the family, including Ron's distinctive red and white pickup truck, proving they were under surveillance. This continuous monitoring created an atmosphere of fear and paranoia for the family, who felt increasingly cornered.

Public Humiliation and Roadside Displays

The harassment campaign took a more public turn when crude signs began appearing throughout Circleville. These displays, written in the same distinctive block lettering as the anonymous letters, publicly accused Mary Gillespie of having an affair with Gordon Massey. Some signs contained even more disturbing allegations, falsely claiming that Massey was involved with Mary's 12-year-old daughter Tracy.

Ron Gillespie, desperate to protect his family from public humiliation, began waking early each morning to drive around town removing these signs before his wife and daughter would see them on their way to school. This daily ritual demonstrated both his devotion to his family and the toll the situation was taking on him.

The situation reached a breaking point on August 19, 1977. After receiving a particularly threatening call while Mary was out of town, Ron—armed with his pistol—left the house in his pickup truck, determined to confront the caller. Tragically, he never returned home. His truck crashed into a tree just miles from his house, resulting in his death. Investigators noted unusual circumstances: a bullet had been fired from Ron's gun, but no bullet or bullet hole was found at the scene—only an empty casing remained.

Unveiling the Mystery

David Longberry Under Suspicion

The anonymous letters that plagued Circleville residents contained intimate details only someone with local knowledge would possess. When Mary Gillespie began receiving threatening messages, she quickly developed a theory about their origin. David Longberry, a fellow school bus driver, became her primary suspect. This wasn't a random accusation—Mary had previously rejected Longberry's romantic advances, which reportedly left him resentful.

The Gillespies believed Longberry's rejection might have motivated his alleged harassment campaign. Looking at the evidence:

He worked at the same school
Had direct knowledge of the bus system
Would have access to employee numbers
Understood Mary's daily routes and schedule

Family Response and Tragic Consequences

Mary and Ron Gillespie turned to trusted relatives for support—Ron's sister Karen and her husband Paul Freshhauer. Together, they formulated what seemed a logical counterattack: sending their own threatening letters to David Longberry. Their messages clearly stated they had identified him as the anonymous writer and threatened police involvement if the harassment didn't stop.

Initially, this strategy appeared successful. The letters ceased temporarily, providing brief relief to the targeted family. However, the situation escalated dramatically with:

Signs appearing around town containing accusations about Mary and Superintendent Massey
Even more disturbing allegations involving Mary's 12-year-old daughter
Ron desperately removing signs each morning before his family could see them

The situation reached its devastating climax on August 19, 1977. After receiving a threatening call from someone claiming to be watching their house, Ron Gillespie grabbed his pistol and drove off to confront the caller. Hours later, his red and white Ford pickup was found crashed into a tree. Sheriff Dwight Radcliffe noted peculiar circumstances—Ron's gun had been fired, yet investigators found no bullet, only an empty casing. Though officially ruled an accident, the circumstances left the Gillespie family convinced Ron's death was directly connected to the anonymous tormentor.

The Fateful Event

Ron Gillespie's Deadly Encounter

In August 1977, the situation in Circleville reached a breaking point for the Gillespie family. Ron Gillespie had been enduring months of anonymous harassment targeting his wife Mary, a school bus driver. The unknown tormentor had escalated from letters to phone calls and even public signs throughout town.

On the evening of August 19, 1977, while Mary was out of town, Ron received a disturbing phone call at home. The caller claimed to be watching the Gillespie residence and described Ron's distinctive red and white pickup truck. This final provocation pushed Ron beyond his limits.

Enraged and determined to end the harassment, Ron grabbed his pistol, kissed his daughter goodbye, and drove off into the night in his 1971 Ford pickup. He was intent on confronting the person he believed was behind the campaign of harassment.

Aftermath of the Tragedy

Just minutes after leaving home, Ron's pickup truck crashed into a tree only a few miles from his residence. Despite being on familiar roads, he failed to navigate a turn properly. The impact partially ejected him from the vehicle, and medical responders pronounced him dead upon arrival at the hospital.

When Sheriff Dwight Radcliffe investigated the scene, he discovered peculiar evidence that raised questions about the nature of the crash:

A bullet had been fired from Ron's gun
No bullet hole was found anywhere at the scene
Only an empty casing was recovered
The crash occurred on roads Ron knew well

The circumstances surrounding the crash immediately struck the Gillespie family as suspicious. They firmly believed this was no accident but rather connected to the harassment campaign that had tormented them for months. The timing—immediately after Ron set out to confront the anonymous caller—further fueled their suspicions about foul play.

The tragedy marked a dark turning point in the Circleville mystery, transforming it from harassment to potentially something far more sinister.

Investigation and Legal Aftermath

Sheriff Dwight Radcliffe's arrival at Ron Gillespie's crash scene revealed troubling inconsistencies. The discharged bullet from Ron's pistol left no trace at the scene - no bullet hole and no recovered projectile. This detail, combined with the threatening letters and Ron's determination to confront the writer that night, raised serious questions about whether his death was truly accidental.

The investigation into Ron's death and the Circleville letters took a significant turn in 1983. Law enforcement finally made an arrest in the case - Paul Freshour, Ron's brother-in-law who had initially helped the Gillespies respond to the harassment. Evidence discovered during the investigation led authorities to believe Paul had been writing the threatening letters all along.

Paul Freshour maintained his innocence throughout his trial. Despite his protestations, he was found guilty and sentenced to prison. The prosecution built their case on handwriting analysis that allegedly matched Paul's writing to the letters, alongside circumstantial evidence connecting him to the harassment campaign.

The case against Paul had notable weaknesses. He had solid alibis for times when some letters were sent, and the handwriting evidence was contested by experts. Most puzzlingly, the Circleville letters continued to arrive even while Paul remained incarcerated with no mailing privileges.

In 1994, after serving 10 years of his sentence, Paul Freshour was released from prison. Shortly afterward, he received one final Circleville letter that simply stated: "Now when are you going to believe you aren't going to get out of circulation? Accept your 25 years."

The continuance of letters during Paul's imprisonment raises profound questions about whether the right person was convicted. Some investigators believe multiple people may have been involved in writing the letters, while others suggest Paul was entirely innocent and framed by the true letter writer.

Despite receiving over 1,000 threatening letters spanning two decades, the Circleville community never conclusively identified the author or authors. The unknown writer demonstrated remarkable insider knowledge about residents' personal lives and managed to evade detection despite the investigation's high profile.

The case remains officially unsolved today. The Circleville letter writer joins other infamous anonymous harassers like the Zodiac Killer in the annals of unsolved mysteries, leaving a community permanently scarred by intimidation and the tragic death of Ron Gillespie.

The Circleville Letters: Inside Ohio's Most Chilling Unsolved Mystery