The Circleville Mystery writer is one of the most intriguing and disturbing criminal cases in American history. For over two decades, residents of Circleville, Ohio, were terrorized by a mysterious letter writer who sent thousands of threatening letters to various individuals, including school officials, law enforcement officers, and even private citizens.
The origins of the Circleville Mystery writer can be traced back to the late 1970s. Mary Gillispie, a school bus driver, received a letter that accused her of having an affair with the superintendent of schools. The letter threatened to expose the alleged affair if Mary did not end it. Mary ignored the letter, but she received another one that was even more threatening. The writer claimed to be watching her every move and warned her not to tell anyone about the letters. Mary was understandably scared and contacted the authorities.
The police investigated the letters but could not determine who was behind them. Meanwhile, Mary’s husband, Ron, became convinced that the superintendent, Gordon Massie, was the one sending the letters. Ron began to investigate the matter himself and even went so far as to confront Massie. However, the superintendent denied any involvement and claimed that he had also received threatening letters.
The situation became even more complicated when Ron received a letter that threatened to kill him if he did not stop his investigation. Ron ignored the letter, but he continued to investigate the matter. One day, while driving his truck, he found a small box attached to his windshield wiper. Inside the box was a pistol, which Ron immediately turned over to the police. The gun was traced back to Paul Freshour, Mary’s brother-in-law.
Paul was arrested and charged with the crimes. He was found guilty and sentenced to seven to 25 years in prison. However, Paul always maintained his innocence and claimed that he was framed. He appealed his conviction several times, but his appeals were denied.
Despite Paul’s conviction, the letters did not stop. In fact, they continued for years, and the writer even began to target other individuals. One of the most high-profile cases involved the death of a local school official, who was killed in a car crash after receiving a threatening letter. The writer claimed responsibility for the crash and threatened to do the same to other officials.
The case continued to baffle authorities, and many theories emerged about the identity of the Circleville Mystery writer. Some believed that Paul Freshour was not the only person involved and that there was a larger conspiracy at play. Others believed that the writer was someone with a personal vendetta against the town or its residents.
The case took another unexpected turn in the 1990s when a new suspect emerged. In 1993, a prison inmate named Thomas Lee Dillon sent a letter to the Columbus Dispatch claiming responsibility for the Circleville letters. Dillon had a history of violent behavior and was already serving a life sentence for murder.
Authorities investigated Dillon’s claim and found several similarities between his writing style and that of the Circleville letters. However, they could not conclusively link him to the crimes, and he was never charged.
In 2006, the case took yet another turn when a former police officer named James Renner began investigating the case. Renner had grown up in Circleville and had always been fascinated by the mystery. He began to uncover new evidence and interviewed several individuals who claimed to have knowledge of the case.
Renner’s investigation led him to a new suspect: a former school superintendent named Dwight L. Bowman. According to Renner, Bowman had a motive for sending the letters, as he had been fired from his position as superintendent and had a grudge against several of the individuals who received the letters.
However, Bowman died in 2009, and authorities were unable to question him about
