The Circleville Letters
How did anonymous letters terrorize a town?
4.4 (19)
48 mins
Explore the mystery of the Circleville letters that haunted the town of Circleville for years. Understand how hundreds of threatening letters exposed alleged secrets, targeted local residents, and fueled suspicion across the community.
Ep 1:
A Pumpkin Town's Poison Pen
In idyllic Circleville, Ohio, a bus driver named Mary Gillespie becomes the target of chilling anonymous letters that know terrifying, intimate secrets—and the writer refuses to stop.
Ep 2:
The Night the Truck Crashed
After months of escalating threats and public accusations, Ron Gillespie confronts a mysterious caller and dies that same night—leaving behind unanswered questions and a widening campaign of terror.
Ep 3:
A Trap Built to Kill
Years later, Mary discovers a booby-trapped gun rigged to kill her, and the investigation leads straight to her own trusted brother-in-law, Paul Freshour.
Ep 4:
Letters From Behind Bars
Convicted and locked in solitary confinement, Paul Freshour should have no way to send letters—yet the Circleville writer's threats keep arriving, mocking his imprisonment.
Ep 5:
Too Many Hands on the Pen
As profilers and journalists dig deeper, shocking secrets, hidden witnesses, and tragic fallout suggest Circleville's nightmare may have had far more than one author.
Discussions (5)
Ryker
Level 9 · 3 mo agoI don't buy that Paul was completely innocent. The handwriting match on nearly 400 letters is hard to just explain away as a rigged test. Karen being awful doesn't automatically make him a saint.
Samuel
Level 8 · 3 mo agoKaren threw away the letters she claimed to have found... but somehow remembered every detail on the stand. Right.
Sloan
Level 3 · 3 mo agoKaren threw away the evidence AND stood to gain everything from the conviction. The divorce motive is right there and nobody blinked at it during trial??
