The Sinister Letters That Terrorized A Small Town • Mystery Files

Sensitive Topics: Stalking, mentions of violence, suicide
Have you ever found yourself on a Wikipedia deep dive on the weird side of the internet? In this show - weird thing enthusiasts Ryan and Shane take turns presenting their latest fascinations to each other covering everything unusual, unexplained, and unhinged! This week's topic: The Circleville Letters!
Bloopers! Bonus Content!
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HOSTED BY
Ryan Bergara
WITH
Shane Madej
DIRECTOR
Annie Jeong
PRODUCER
Brittney Lee
EDITOR
ETHAN RAMOS
MOTION GRAPHICS
Diana Arana
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Jucel Andrin
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Billy Jett
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Lauren Woelfel
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Kari Koeppel
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Jay Tran
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Jay Tran
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Jacob Fuller
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Darren DeMatteis
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John Terry
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Violet Rawlings
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Carter Lau
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Brendon Ryu Violet Rawlings
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Sam Young
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Frank Parker
HEAD OF DEVELOPMENT
Katie LeBlanc
HEAD OF PRODUCTION
Lizzie Lockard
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Sam Young
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Steven Lim, Ryan Bergara, and Shane Madej
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Watcher. A network from Steven Lim, Ryan Bergara, and Shane Madej.

[@DanGamingFan2406]

"I know aliens aren't in this story, but I was drawing a picture of an alien holding a little gun." Don't ever change, Shane. I'm so glad Mystery Files is back.

[@watershipup7101]

That drawing was adorable.

[@michelcomenta]

i love Shane so much 🤣🤣

[@lifeofandrew4914]

Haha like a little kid 😂

[@marraelsesser6880]

I swear I see you everywhere in every fandom related thing I watch, there you are always lol

[@duncanmunro640]

Same!@@marraelsesser6880

[@AlyssaRueckert]

felt like a lot of the threats and obscene messages about the young daughter got glossed over. like if i was a parent who started being threatened/shittalked, i'd be mad but i could take it. if someone started writing obscene messages about my 13 year old daughter... it's over

[@krutikarnik5598]

That's what I was thinking too. It's also why I dont think it would have been either of the Freshhours because it would be really messed up if they were making those signs. My guess is maybe Massie's son or maybe Mark Freshhour

[@rgoodfellow]

@@krutikarnik5598I’m on the Mark train. He didn’t know how to handle his parents own marital problems so pointed out other ppls hoping maybe his own parents would stop (?). He was still fairly young. And yeah the whole daughter thing is messed up so I feel like it’s more likely something a younger less mature person would say. PLUS there were what, 1000+ letters sent in total? About politics and other stuff? Sounds like a younger person trying to voice their opinion and be taken seriously.

[@poppyonline4034]

@@rgoodfellowBut old pedos who hate women would definitely say that stuff as well.

[@TheLazyToast]

+

[@4Mr.Crowley2]

I think it was Mary Gillespie pure and simple. For some reason people always assume that a man was writing the letters but I don’t believe it. Mary was a narcissist, and she wanted Massie to divorce his wife, which she got in the end. She also loved the attention. And sorry she wouldn’t be the first narcissist mother who used her children in nasty self-serving ways.

[@wanderinglizzy]

Paul's son looks really sus to me. The phrasing of the letters sounds pretty juvenile, like something a teenager would write. It also explains why Paul continued to receive letters in jail, and why he wouldn't tell the police who stole his gun, because he's trying to protect his son.

[@actinium_]

that’s what i was thinking. i don’t think paul was entirely innocent in terms of the abuse and everything, but i wouldn’t be surprised if it really had been his son the entire time and he just took the blame

[@melissa5364]

The son also was awarded custody by the mom not the father there may have been resentment there. And for The husband to have known who was on the threatening call before his death hmmmm Oh and only thing to do in Circleville is the pumpkin festival 😂

[@Hermit_frog22]

Yeah, he also probably had access to his dad’s guns, and no mentally stable adult would do that. Definitely a juvenile thing to do.

[@The_Man_In_Red]

Also who thinks of making a "booby trap" with a literal gun in a box tied to string except a teenager who probably watched too much Looney Tunes? The fact that Paul even took the heat for someone in the first place suggests two things: either they had even bigger dirt on him, or he cared for them.

[@nofail]

Yes, plus the letters continuing during Paul's imprisonment corroborate this theory, Paul's son would have had the means (not in prison], and the motive (getting his father freed]. Also, maybe his guilt weighing on him is what drove him to suicide. At this point a suicide note confession wouldn't even have necessarily been rendered public by his parents, as his father was intent on protecting him from the get-go, and in this theory would have even gone to prison for him. As for motive for the letters prior to Paul's judgement, if he was a little unhinged and wounded by his parents' divorce cause by adultery, it's not outlandish to think he could have started writing letters condemning adultery in others.

[@Marsa11]

I absolutely love the alternating episodes bc you just always know Ryan is going to have some psychological creepy crime case and Shane is going to present the most random batshit event that you've never heard of in your life

[@Enzo-xx]

Haha true also cool pfp great movie

[@SapientGalaxy]

What "more important matters to attend to" could the sheriff possibly have in a small like that then people getting a bunch of threatening letters saying kill your wife and the guy he's cheating on you with or I'll do it myself?

[@timelesstalesofhistory]

Heroin probably

[@heyimneverland8451]

The sheriff kept getting name dropped and mentioned someone get homeboy on trial he knows smth

[@blakewhite3131]

Jacking it maybe??

[@ChrissaTodd]

well that was paul saying that who was apparently in kahoots with the letter writer

[@damenwhelan3236]

They're very busy typing on imaginary typewriters...

[@ultimateninjaboi]

"I like him, he's got kind eyes. i think he did it." this shouldn't have made me laugh NEARLY as much as it did

[@howdy4504]

"if i had a nickel for every time a small town was plagued by a creepy letter writing campaign I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice"

[@cheddarthing713]

Out of curiosity, what was the first?

[@mayvalley]

@@cheddarthing713I’m thinking it’s the case of the Watcher! The original buzzfeed unsolved episode that inspired the name of this channel :)

[@ravenboy785]

@@cheddarthing713 probbly the watcher. it was a dude that was sending letters

[@cheddarthing713]

@@ravenboy785 Oh yeah! I was just thinking about the one family he terrorized, but that’s smart of you. Thanks! =)

[@sydneybooth260]

Everyone loves doofenshmirtz

[@renatal.129]

the thing with letter cases like this is that when it gets too popular literally anyone could be writing a letter, like my first instinct was that some kid at school saw gordon cheating with a bus driver and wrote the letter just to mess up with him but it got out of hand.

[@alexisgonzales4689]

Makes sense from especially since it's a rather small place I wouldn't be surprised if a kid got bored I know many kids in small towns wanna get out and act out because of it.

[@4Mr.Crowley2]

It was Mary herself. The idea she endangered every child in that bus by pulling the bus over to investigate what could have been a bomb was a sign of her narcissistic behavior. ALL the letters etc were designed to get Mary attention and to get Massie to divorce his wife. There was always suspicion that Mary’s sister-in-law, Paul’s wife, was directly involved as well.

[@knight1706]

@@alexisgonzales4689Every small town teen is a menace, that absolutely whats likeliest.

[@Aurelius-bf3yx]

@@alexisgonzales4689 I think that could definitely explain some of it, but what about the booby trap or the phone call Ron got. I think there had to have been a main perp who if not started it at least took it the furthest

[@renatal.129]

@@Aurelius-bf3yx i don't doubt ron is the main perp, i just don't think he's the only one, specially with the letters he got while in jail, it just smells of a mob mentality hysteria to me, like everyone is harassing this lady so i will too

[@ithinkler]

Honestly shout out to the designer behind the mystery files logo. Absolute banger of a design. *chefs kiss*

[@brotherkhrayn3525]

I know right? My graphic design brain is just mwah

[@nomdeplume2213]

The design where it simply says Mystery files??? And nothing more?? Lol

[@nomdeplume2213]

Or do you mean the 3 ??? For thr m?

[@ithinkler]

​​@@nomdeplume2213 I'm going to assume you're asking in good faith. I'm referring to the branding as a whole. The choice of typeface, the retro aesthetics, the colour palette and yes, the design of the logo. I'm referring to appreciating the gestalt (the sum of the parts), because it's very hard to achieve a brand identity that is as cohesive as that. It's something you won't think to appreciate unless you've worked in the field, so this kind of work is easily overlooked (and dismissed as above), which is why I wanted to express my appreciation for it.

[@dalgonamilk]

craziest thing is how they really put that man in jail for murder with no evidence 😭

[@rgoodfellow]

Right? This ep kinda bummed me out.

[@pyramidschema8668]

Attempted murder, and the primary piece of evidence was that the gun he owned was the weapon used.

[@エレダー]

it's Ohio

[@doc-holliday-]

They didnt... they put him in for attempted murder for building the booby trap which was tied to him by his own gun... ergo evidence. His story was... "uh uh it was stolen but i never reported it and wont tell you who did it."

[@DamnZodiak]

Exactly. Calling this case solved is insane to me.

[@emilygastelum6641]

I think it's weird that the sheriff was repeatedly mentioned in the letters, but no one looked into that?

[@renpivin4321]

i mean, if the sheriff was investigating im certain he wouldnt be looking into himself

[@emilygastelum6641]

@@renpivin4321 I mean to say, that in one of the letters, it says "Don't look into the sheriff." And in another letter, after the death of (I forgot his name), it said something like, "I bet the sheriff is laughing".

[@jadalecce8934]

I was thinking along the same lines, and was a bit surprised when they didn't touch on that in the suspects. There's also to take into consideration the investigation into Ron's death. Paul claimed that Ron must have died in a high speed chase as there were bullet holes in the side of Ron's truck, and then furthermore insisted that it was wildly out of character that Ron would have been drinking and driving. It would be really odd to insist that there had been bullet holes in the side of the truck when there was no evidence of that- why bring it up at all? Especially when anyone could die in an accident? In a moderately small town like Circleville (approximate population 11,100 at the time of this mystery) in the 70's, it could have been plausible for the sherrif to make evidence disapear, or even find a way to dismiss things as unrelated. That, paired with the insistance that the interviewer leave the sheriff alone and the comment of the sherrif laughing at Paul, is very odd. Did the person writing the letters have a friendship or some sort of familial/friendly/romantic relationship with the sherrif? Who was leading the investigation at the time?

[@jacobjones5269]

Could be a red herring?.. The author definitely tries at times to make himself look bigger than one individual.. I noticed it too, but without more info it’s tough to make any inroads there..

[@xR4CC00Nx]

Resident Circlevillian here. My Uncle was a sheriffs deputy at the time this was going on, he’s told me when I discussed this with him a few years ago that the Sheriff Radcliffe received several very derogatory letters as well, and he would share them with the department. A lot of people got these letters around that time.

[@anoramactir]

I'm so confused about why the letters Paul supposedly magically managed to send from prison weren't investigated. This case doesn't feel solved at all to me -- at least not as presented here! I'm also confused as to why Shane and Ryan are acting like it is.

[@miraclegirl3313]

Thank you!! I don't understand

[@natashalawely2900]

thank you!! i came here to say this. i could believe the letter writer was Mark, but it doesn't sound like it was Paul

[@Feasael]

Because the letters were clearly trying to exonerate him. "Hahaha truly this miscarriage of justice shall not be rectified. We the dark conspirator behind this attempted murder remain at large with no one to catch us." The reason he was denied patrol was because he's still trying to get away with attempted murder in the patrol board's eyes. Hence why the letters stop the day he gets out and the letter timed immediately after his hearing in an attempt to provoke a mistrial.

[@cathybohan3446]

Completely agree. Not solved.

[@heidit3365]

@@Feasael but did mark want his father to stay in prison? maybe mark was the writer and wrote them that way in an attempt to make his father look innocent and get him out of there. it just didn't work out that way and had the opposite effect

[@rgoodfellow]

Not gonna lie, the little notes Shane and Ryan take throughout the presentations like they’re gonna take a test at the end make me giggle so much.

[@CantTellYou]

I swear if we ever find out they’re not takin notes in an actual basement my life & dreams are RUINED

[@rgoodfellow]

Shhh shhhh, of course they really are.

[@justinelecerf8625]

They are the new Wayne and Garth

[@heatherdull9168]

Shane: The best little town ✨💫around💫✨ Ryan: … 😮

[@mmmomiji]

Why did I make the same face as Ryan at the same time 😂

[@DryptosaurusDavid]

“Oh my god.”

[@Deadshot-yy4fj]

Came in the comment section looking specifically for this and you didn’t disappoint

[@Amy-r1s]

I love those light bulb moments!

[@OfficialSeeb]

I truly think it's Mark. Paul and Mary were trying to protect their son. It would explain the letters in the house, and why the letters were continuing when Paul was in prison. Love that the show is back and I can't wait for season 2!!!

[@apeiceofgarbage9848]

This is a good theory

[@Chadius_Thundercock]

It’s Paul’s gun, he had motive, he was known to be violent, the handwriting of the letters changed right as he went to jail, it’s understandable why they thought it was Paul

[@userkive]

shane getting absorbed in elaborate doodling in the middle of presentations is peak the artsy kid in class 😭

[@wolvie1618]

As someone who was the artsy kid in class, I can confirm that he is one of us.

[@SeaThem]

Adhd-core

[@abuzzabout]

I was 100% convinced that "Watch til the very end for a little treat!" was going to mean a Max Headroom-style jump scare

[@jackiecooke1851]

I was convinced that Steven was going to get a letter about Shane's Fornite Skin purchases

[@strikerx9720]

I was born and raised in Circleville. Still live here. I even went to Westfall until 4th grade. Pretty much everything you guys said about dui and everything like that is accurate lol. My very first bus driver was actually one of the female bus drivers mentioned in the letters. Everytime someone new covers this story from my hometown it makes me wonder what happened all over again. It may have been Paul and my personal opinion is that it was his son, but regardless every major player is long gone so the letter writer is more than likely already gone.

[@ethanweeter2732]

Out of town, if they could be alive. Been less than 50 years. So, if they were in their teens or 20s, would be likely they could be alive.

[@thedarkd6]

Yeah idk that letter sent to Paul seems kinda odd to me the time and everything makes me think it wasn't a letter trying to like help him by pretending to set him up, kinda feel bad I get he wasn't a good dude in general but thinking about being in a spot like that sitting in jail reading a note talking about years ago I told you when I set you up you stay set up... Like just sitting there knowing they won pft just sad

[@getgot7461]

Are any of the letters still in existence? Has it ever been considered to test the stamp or envelope for DNA, as most people lick them? DNA testing is quite sensitive now, it would be a good way to put this to rest.

[@thomasswafford250]

That's one thing I've thought about too. When all this was going on DNA was really not part of law enforcement. I don't think whoever was sending the letters would have thought about not licking an envelope.

[@homunculusSZN]

Shout out to you still hanging around Circleville. Really fun spot to visit from time to time!

[@hayleydid]

Just for funsies, 8:50 ish that's called syndetic listing and it's often meant to make things sound aggrandized. If you just have to go to the grocery store, the barbers, the gym and the doctor's office that doesn’t sound as much as saying "I have to go to the grocery store and the barbers and the gym and the doctor's office." It can be used to show frustration, make something sound grander than it really is or to just add more focus to each item being listed. Just some random literary knowledge for everyone 🥰

[@croft4746]

Someone is studying English lit lol, syndetic lists are a classic

[@pazzieanneknexx809]

Thank you!! The more you know!

[@NyanyiC]

Thanks! You got to flex your English/literature degree😁

[@mikehawk8984]

Huh, learn something new every day. First thing I thought of was that that's exactly how you list things out in Japanese. You use a partical marker "と" (tō), and you can use it indefinitely. It's interesting how varied language is, and that in Japanese it wouldn't sound weird to list 100 things out in a single sentence like that if it was called for. Eg. 今日はりんご「と」いちご「と」らめん「と」みそを食べました。 "Today I've eaten apples and strawberries and ramen and miso soup."

[@truebornseeker9767]

Though it is very funny that Paul was so confident that he’s telling the truth just to fail the polygraph test, but a reminder to everyone that polygraph tests don’t say shit lol, they’re incredibly unreliable and can basically be failed by just being nervous about answering questions in an interrogation, never trust them as actual 100% proof of fact

[@santosgarcia8644]

Maybe he did pass but the police framed him meaning the police were involved

[@Deus_ex_lucifina]

This! Polygraphs are pseudoscience, and the guy that invented them denounced their use as a truth-telling. They are also easy to manipulate, and there are classes that you can take to learn how to beat them. Multiple serial killers beat polygraphs.

[@dobanator4501]

Polygraphs are the worse and even innocent people should refuse to have one!

[@HetaClaude]

honestly polygraph tests are only fun if you have them as like idk. a party toy. or if you like seeing lines on paper

[@enbeast8350]

Cops know polygraphs are total bullshit already. They use it as a fear tactic to hopefully catch someone in a lie. Make the suspect nervous, they're more likely to slip up in a lie. At the risk of damning an innocent nervous person 🙃

[@theredmenace22]

So proud of Ryan for finally figuring out the pointer. That's some excellent character development.

[@joseybryant7577]

"Forcing my colleague Shane" Shane: looks comfortable and ready to hear Ryan's story

[@austinbruce2422]

Stockholm syndrome real af boi

[@3lttlbrds]

😂​@@austinbruce2422

[@reignofmo]

🤣🤣

[@nonastans]

17:00 That big reveal was exquisitely done by Ryan and Shane is not even paying attention 🤣😂

[@abigailolson8638]

Cvs

[@Whyareyoulookingatmynamell]

i just found this chanel and i knew who i saw

[@Gamerkat10]

It's so tragic lol

[@sydneyslaughter7163]

Seriously! I straight up GASPED and then I thought I was being an idiot when Shane had no reaction at all

[@nonastans]

@@sydneyslaughter7163 Lmaoo same! My jaw literally dropped 💀 Ryan really knows how to build suspense! And Shane really knows how to not notice 🤣

[@EvanLyman]

appreciated how the music abruptly stopped when Shane said "I really hope this ends with someone getting the death penalty" with a completely blank face

[@lawsonpritchard1456]

William Massie has the most internally consistent motive to be the initial letter writer, if his father was "cruel" to his mom then direct retaliation would be hard, and also would make sure that the letters could continue after Freshour went to prison. He also could have stolen the gun because they're family friends.

[@unsteadyeddey7170]

I feel simarlaly about Mark tbh, they both have similar motives for being victims of disrupted families and both would be close enough to all involved for the requried stalking involved.

[@alexe.3697]

I'm thinking Karen had the most motive. You know how most housewife's back in the days got bored? I think she was bored so she heard of the affair between Massie and Golesspi and decided she needed to say something. She sent all those letters out as a way to create drama. The gun was stolen by her, but she was OK to let Paul believe that his son took it - or maybe asked her son to take it for her. I feel like the boobytrap seems more of a woman way of murdering if I'm matching their characters right. A bit "arts and crafty". She would have stolen Paul's work equipment because she knows he has those, and built it. I definitely believe Karen Sue did it.

[@Aurelius-bf3yx]

@@unsteadyeddey7170 I think mark too if it wasn't Paul, that would explain why he wouldn't give a name to who stole his gun

[@ColossalM]

@@alexe.3697 "I feel like the boobytrap seems more of a woman way of murdering" lmao come on, wtf are you talking about

[@alexe.3697]

@@ColossalM as a woman I think I'm allowed to make that judgment. I'm a fan of "boobytrap" murders.

[@DariaSax]

The letters look and read like a gossipy, offended/righteous teenager. Especially the block letter handwriting, haven't seen that since high school! 😅

[@rgoodfellow]

That’s why I think it’s Mark!

[@scatterbunny35]

Or like someone trying to make them look that way

[@Jerome616]

exactly my thought! Also, how Effed is it that Paul was denied parole based on the letters continuing to be sent WHILE HE WAS IN PRISON! 🙄

[@shawntakada1851]

Definitely think it was Mark. Obviously he had psychological difficulties.

[@croft4746]

Exactly, it’s definitely Mark

[@thegoddamnmoon9970]

"it's not'a me mario, it's me a murderer" why did i laugh so hard lmao

[@RetroTaylor94]

My mother grew up in Circleville and was going to the Highschool while all this was happening. She remembers it being a really big deal around town while the letters were appearing.

[@mirandagoldstine8548]

Oh wow…does your mom have any theories on the writers of the letters? I personally think the principal’s wife wrote some of them after finding about her husband’s affair with a bus driver.

[@delphiniumbones]

WERE GETTING MYSTERY FILES AND A FOOD SERIES DUDE THATS AWESOME

[@Julietca2]

Oooo Food Series!!! Thank you I was confused lol 😂

[@liz7567]

seems like a worth it remake!!!

[@Absbabs88]

​@@liz7567 they had their own channel for a short time that was basically that, I guess they're just moving everything to Watcher now, which I love.

[@HannahPerryBrown]

I literally could not stop saying oh my god when that was shown at the end!

[@thatgirl9532]

@@liz7567 I think it is but I really hope it’s worth it 😅 I mean the try guys were able to make more without a recipe on their channel why can’t watcher do the same with Worth It??? 🤔

[@s3ll3ri]

Mark being the letter writer explains why paul didn't rat him out or report the gun stolen, and also why karen would be covering for the perp

[@tjvangelist]

I definitely agree that Paul was a bad dude, but I think it was one of the sons who wrote the letters. When you take into account the outlandish cartoony booby trap and that some of the letters were written on journal paper, I think it just makes more sense. Teens are super sensitive to their parent's wrong-doings, so if Mark or William witnessed their parents commit adultery, I could see them trying to scare them straight and then ultimately getting caught up in the rush of it all.

[@cloudy2110]

I agree!

[@sunnyk948]

I remember a podcast covering this case and they delved a bit onto the possibility of Paul's son being responsible, but it was less possible than Paul being the culprit. They don't talk about it in this episode, but the going theory was that Paul tried to pass off his insanity plea as possibly having multiple personalities. Also, many of the letters that were sent out while he was incarcerated were most likely either handed out to his friends in the Sheriff's dept when they visited, OR handed to his friends in said dept before he went to jail and mailed out periodically. ACAB, man.

[@rabbit6546]

For me i’m thinking about the child daughter was used as collateral damage in this situation, and personally i feel like another child would be more likely to go to those extremes against their peers than an adult towards their niece (obviously there are cases of ppl doing awful things to kids they’re related to but i feel like in a situation w cheating pulling a sins of the parent on an 8 year old is just so fucking much for them to do in comparison w a teenager)

[@OrbManson7]

Agreed, the very first thought I had when the first letter was being read was that this Has to be written by a child or teenager, it sounds like someone trying to to come off more imposing than they are, someone who definitely doesn't actually have the level of authority they're trying to to claim they have. And then the obsession with an affair made me think it had to be someone close to one of the families because the letters sounded like a personal offense, like something a sibling might say if they found out someone was hurting their sister, that sort of thing. Someone who isn't actually in a position to stop what was happening so they tried to come off as something more threatening in the hopes that would be enough.

[@cassdun619]

Plot twist- the kids worked together. They are close in age and there is a chance they knew eachother. (This is mostly a joke but I wouldn't be surprised)

[@yoimmablob]

Just because he was punished for it doesn't mean he was the perp. That trial was a sham. His parole was denied for a bogus reason. I'm prepared to call Paul not guilty on this one.

[@sophiekohls5359]

While I definitely do think it was Paul who sent the first letters and set up the booby trap it surprised me immensely that he was found guilty with that weak of evidence, the American justice system is super super weird

[@veebee-sc4tp]

either im stupid or they glossed over the fact that the letters continued when he was in jail way too carelessly. so is the conclusion here that the booby trap and the letters werent connected? what about paul receiving a letter he 100% could not have sent himself saying he was set up?

[@pyramidschema8668]

​@@veebee-sc4tp That's pretty easily explained by Paul having someone on the outside help him try and establish his innocence. It explains the different handwriting too, and both the letter to Paul and the letter to that TV show pretty clumsily try to deflect attention onto that sheriff. "Don't look into the sheriff" is definitely not something you'd write if you didn't want people to look into the sheriff. I mean who else but Paul would have motive to write a letter saying they set Paul up. Why did they stop as soon as he got out of prison if him being in prison wasn't the principle motivation for them being written?

[@ColossalM]

@@sophiekohls5359 It was literally his gun tho

[@ColossalM]

@@pyramidschema8668 Also couldve been someone that saw the Unsolved Mysteries episode on TV and just wanted to fuck around

[@aymonverheij1863]

the realization of the town motto pun was fantastic 2:47

[@wonderfred]

That's fuckin nuts. "Well the letters kept coming and it couldn't be you soooooo no parole for you"

[@LadyBeyondTheWall]

This whole thing was definitely weird. I'm not convinced Paul had much to do with the letters at all. Maybe his gun WAS stolen. And some people fail polygraphs for reasons other than being guilty. I feel like they should have had more evidence to put him in jail in the first place. Maybe it was all Paul, but.. I really am not sure. I think the whole thing is still a mystery and not "solved".

[@bumblerbree]

@@LadyBeyondTheWall it sounded to me like paul only got involved after ron died because he was convinced mary killed him so she could be with gordon - she probably knew he'd be drinking, either called herself or had someone else call to incite him to chase down the letter-writer figuring he'd get himself killed. or maybe paul just thought mary's infidelity got him killed, so he tried to take it out on mary. but i don't understand why they didn't investigate the phone call ron got more or even try and figure out where he was headed when he died. it just seems weird

[@L16htW4rr10r]

​@@bumblerbreeAs Ryan would say, it's Ohio and the 70's

[@melsills5436]

@@LadyBeyondTheWallI agree and polygraph tests have been proven ineffective over and over again. All they measure is how nervous someone is. I really feel that if Paul was guilty of anything it was just the gun in the box and someone- whoever the real culprit is- made him do it

[@sarafontanini7051]

@@LadyBeyondTheWall yeah I'm BAFFLED both shane and beefboy just agreed with the idea of paul being the letter writer despite the numerous questions left behind. I wonder if they have more faith in the police than they should.

[@patrickoconnor6893]

6:30 the idea of Steven lim killing anyone is hilarious I’m imagining him in his too many spirits coke Santa getup dancing over the dead body and laughing like a maniac Scary

[@starkjet2197]

That’s a sight lol 😂

[@sarahdavies1616]

I felt a thrill of pure fear down my spine at that image O.o

[@thatgirl9532]

Serial Killer Steven idk man… your thoughts here are so chilling 😅😅 we all know Steven Lim wouldn’t hurt a fly 😂

[@trinvp]

It HAS to be coke Santa

[@EMMAISABOONER]

Imma be honest, I’ve watched almost all of the buzzfeed unsolved series and thought I’d never find Shane and Ryan ever again. IVE NEVER BEEN SO HAPPY!

[@mf.danger9235]

They been doing watcher for a couple years the drunk campfire series has Steven too

[@EMMAISABOONER]

@@mf.danger9235 I just kept rewatching buzzed unsolved that I didn’t know watcher even existed. 😂

[@bialessa6317]

Emma your profile picture is fire. I love everything you're putting down and I'm picking it up.

[@katelynb2913]

WE'RE BACK BABY

[@midnighttrequiem]

SO BACK

[@hannahcollins1816]

I SQUEALED A LITTLE!! 😂

[@sherkshen]

OH WE ARE SOO BACK

[@ChrishenJamesYap]

Another Fun Season of Shane and Ryan

[@williamalexander1791]

Don't call me baby lol😂

[@monnsrodg]

Ahhh!! So excited to see Steven, Andrew and Adam back together again!

[@the.bonecollector]

I was so excited when I saw it! I had to halt a conversation I was having mid sentence to have a proper freak out! 🤣

[@rgoodfellow]

I gasped out loud three times watching it on my phone and my boyfriend was so confused. I’m so excited to see those three all together again. ❤

[@Kelzy]

When I tell you I SCREAMED. I SCREMPT.

[@astrowolvez]

I totally forgot they had a show!

[@justarandomchaneldontmindm9098]

I was looking for this comment!

[@Sheena000]

I feel like the part about targeting slander towards the daughter in the signs should be emphasized more. I don’t think an aunt could think, let alone write such disgusting things about their own 8-13 year old niece.

[@apeiceofgarbage9848]

This is part of it is why I think it might be the kids because they might have the inside scoop on some actual sexual assault that may have been happening and might have wanted to bring light to that I remember them saying one of the signs described Gordon Massy molesting Mary's eight year old daughter. And it was also mentioned that Massy may have been treating Mary cruely while the affair was going on perhaps blackmailing her with the affair as a way to get away with abusing her child. And since we heard that Massy was "cruel" to his wife it makes sense to me that his son might have known about this and wanted to expose it and get back at his father for being an awful human

[@dougdimmadome9241]

Unfortunately this doesn't sway the argument one way or another. Most sexual predators are family members or close family friends.

[@dougdimmadome9241]

Unfortunately, this doesn't sway the argument one way or another. Most predators are family members or close family friends.

[@creamcheesebabies]

NEW FOOD SHOW WITH THE WORTH IT BOYS!!! An excellent surprise at the end of an excellent ep :)

[@thatgirl9532]

This makes me so happy as much as I love the content Shane & Ryan create .. I’m more invested in the food content on this channel 😅 Can’t wait to see Steven, Andrew and our beloved quiet guy Adam together again on their new food show!!! 👏 ❤

[@ChibiJaime]

Circleville is actually named Circleville because it was shaped like a wheel with spokes! Still is, though the roads have changed a little since then. Had a friend who lived there and went there often. You could quite literally drive AROUND town.

[@Thepoopstoreonlyhadpee]

I went there last year for the pumpkin festival and didn’t know this, decided to drive around to get to know the area only to realize at one point I was quite literally driving in a circle, around circleville 😂

[@or6712]

Circleville is so named because it was built inside an ancient Indigenous circular earthwork. Numerous geometric earthworks exist in Ohio.

[@oofbruh2607]

I remember when Ryan was slightly apprehensive about bringing what he learned to Shane but now he’s doing full presentations for him as they dabble in the details lmao

[@the-reading-lemon]

Oh god I missed Mystery Files so much. It's great to have you back! Ryan completely missing the pun was hilarious, and so was Shane completely failing to focus because he quite literally found Jesus. Also: IS THAT A NEW STEVEN LIM FOOD-CENTRIC SHOW I'M SPYING?!?!?! Oh this will be excellent.

[@winterseyfer9056]

This is such an interesting case. Paul definitely had a violent streak, however, he may not have been guilty of this particular case. He didn't treat his wife well. And having children grow up in a house with that kind of violence would make them most likely also have behavioral difficulties, if they weren't in active therapy. It could have been his kid, who wanted to frame him. It could have been Paul and an accomplice. The part I'm most curious about is how the letters continued after he was put in prison. So happy Mystery Files is back for another season!!

[@BallparkFrankenstein]

I agree! I really don't think Paul had a motive to harass Mary as he did. Mark hated his dad, and Mary was (allegedly) cheating on his uncle. Also, the letters stopped after he passed away. I think the son is a more likely culprit, but there may be evidence I don't know about.

[@darth_kal-el]

He was according to his journals they found.

[@darth_kal-el]

@@BallparkFrankensteinaccording to his journals he did and was

[@makslargu5799]

@@BallparkFrankensteinI think it could have been a way to still punish his wife though by threatening her niece and brother’s family and break up his marriage

[@lainyhead]

@darth_kal-el you keep saying this, do you have a source? IMO anything found in the home could be attributed to Mark, Karen, or Paul. Additionally, letters were arriving while he was in solitary confinement, and he was in severe lockdown without even access to writing implements so he could not have had a journal in prison.

[@thomplin9563]

As a Brit, I was so surprised by the initial similarities between this and the Little Hampton letters. It was literally just made into a movie with Olivia Coleman

[@gracefulbean9894]

Thank you to Watcher for promoting the Oxford comma!!

[@channelofoxford2131]

I agree

[@divebomb1879]

I'm so freaking STOKED about the surprise ending. Great episode. Everyone. No notes. I'm so happy about this season. I love mystery files.

[@seewonlee4096]

shane’s notes only saying “Paul/Paul did it/Paul bad” reminds me of when i learned about St. Paul’s letters and actually read those books of the bible

[@crains8087]

this

[@bagofworms7625]

literally gasped when the camera cut to all 3 worth it boys sitting enjoying a meal, I'm so excited

[@michaelasteele77]

"what in the blues clues is happening"😂😂 this mail bit was so good

[@mizmlee]

The ending scenes were certainly a treat! Excited to see those three together again!

[@linoluna8989]

I think it’s quite damming that the letters stopped after Paul was out of jail as there’s no longer a need to insinuate that it could be someone else; therefore, proving his “innocences”

[@lainyhead]

Coincidentally several of the other potential suspects died around the same time, so I don't think it's a simple as that. David Longberry was another bus driver who had an infatuation with Mary and went on to rape a child and killed himself not long after Paul was released. The initial letters referred to the female bus drivers as "his girls" and included Mary's employee number. Karen lived on the property when all this was going down and was dating a man who matched the description of the man seen where the boobytrap was installed. She also freaked out over the Unsolved Mysteries episode and stalked the filming, and that was the last letter sent. Mark (their son) killed himself a few years later.

[@LadyBeyondTheWall]

I mean, it could be a coincidence, it could be that the person writing the letters stopped after Paul got out of jail for whatever other reason (if it wasn't Paul) or it could be the person died? I dunno, this whole case is weird and I'm not convinced at all that Paul actually wrote the letters in the first place. I really don't agree that the case is "solved" personally. 🤷🏻‍♀

[@darth_kal-el]

@@LadyBeyondTheWallPaul confessed in his journal where he had other mock letters written.

[@marcelinec.426]

@@darth_kal-el Do you have a source for this? I've seen this around and can't find the source.

[@camradical]

My guess: The entire Freshour family was in on it. So happy to have this show back again!

[@poppyonline4034]

You’re claiming the sister wrote sexually perverse about her own sister and 13 year old niece by blood?

[@jaymeselijah]

​@@poppyonline4034 it's definitely possible. Things like that have and do happen

[@poppyonline4034]

@@jaymeselijah it’s far more likely the violent misogynistic abusive husband did it

[@Matthew__Drinkwater]

@@poppyonline4034 na it was the son

[@slappy_happy]

The pumpkin pizza at the circleville pumpkin show goes CRAZYYYYYYYYYYY (Pizza crust with pumpkin, Brie cheese, almond slices, and cinnamon on top) Not sure how it plays into this mystery but I’m convinced it does.

[@SorcerersStoned]

I'm from Circleville & I'm so happy this is being talked about more!!!! It's always fascinated me lol

[@nightmaregirl8961]

Same here!! My grandpa actually got one of the letters.

[@anahiparada7011]

@@nightmaregirl8961omg what did it say

[@cassianand0r]

i’m a columbus girl, but have lots of family in circleville and visit all the time, so it’s interesting to see something so close to home!

[@jaynenunya6070]

​@@anahiparada7011seconded give us the deets

[@aditishetty8209]

​@@nightmaregirl8961yeahh what did it say!!

[@sucha_shocker]

I love that Ryan was doing his unsolved voice for the intro. We need his spooky narration more!

[@havesomefaitharthur9020]

These two have the best chemistry of any youtube pair, stoked for new season

[@mikal]

Ryan, at the end: "No, Shane. It wasn't Paul. But you already knew this, didn't you? Because it was YOU, Shane! YOU are the letter writer!" It was YOU who set up the booby trap! Officers, come on in." (Police enter from the back of the room and take Shane away)

[@mc3612]

The police is still just Carter in a little outfit, tho

[@lydiaboll2872]

😂😂😂

[@arabella5717]

😭😭😭

[@the_glitter_is]

Paul. If anyone else kept writing letters after his imprisonment, they'd just make him look innocent. The letters stopped after his release because he had no reason to try to trick authorities into letting him go. Maybe in between jail & the trial, he met an impressionable person at the asylum who he got to send them. Or maybe the sheriff helped? What was with all the shoutouts to him?

[@alishashahab2392]

I was thinking the same thing, the sheriff was mentioned 2 or 3 times in the context of knowing the writers but there is no investigation on him.

[@ayandeshmukh5655]

Ok but if you remember, after 7 years he was not released from prison because of those letters. If he was behind it, then why didn't he just stop? It was counterproductive at this point. I don't think there is only one person responsible for these letters.

[@CantTellYou]

Paul did it. It was Paul. Paul. Paulpaulpaul. 👽 Maybe not though

[@jeremysmetana8583]

There's a reason we say "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." The letter writer while Paul is in jail is likely Karen. She has plenty of reasons to taunt him, whether or not he was the letter writer before he went to prison. If Paul has an accomplice, then why didn't the police follow-up on anybody who visited him? The warden said Paul could not write them from prison. An accomplice will, at some point, visit Paul to find out what he wants him to say, or to get his approval. There's no evidence of that. That's either incredibly sloppy police work, or Paul doesn't have anything to do with those.

[@the_glitter_is]

@@ayandeshmukh5655 oh agreed. He couldn't send them from prison

[@memoriam.victoriam]

lesson from today's episode: if you plan to claim your weapon was stolen and no in your possession during the murder FILE A POLICE REPORT

[@lilithrey3936]

7:26 so far this case reminds me of the Shirley Jackson story “The Possibility of Evil”. It’s a really good read about a small town shrouded in paranoia, because someone keeps sending chilling, threatening letters about everyone’s drama

[@MsGabrielaf6]

I thought of the same thing!

[@AYVYN]

I thought you were going to say chilling, threatening letters about everyone’s dreams

[@bloodyneptune]

The jellybeans were probably a business cost for Puppet History

[@mlee9118]

woosh

[@Vivian-oy5ct]

the sound of the vhs going into and coming out of the vcr is nostalgic

[@drawingsticks5333]

This episode truly captured the spirit of explaining unresolved cases to each other in a basement.

[@IAmMightyMike]

I enjoy how much Ryan backtracks on what they really do in the basement, like we don't already know

[@almond5651]

well what is it

[@the_awkward_hobbit]

Sooo this is my hometown and Mary was my dad's bus driver. He was actually her last stop before she found the sign... ive talked to different members of my family about it and who they think it may have been. Circleville also had a boom boom incident in 67. Ps they do have the pumpkin show every October... that's about the only thing to do around there.

[@Read-alert]

I don't understand being like "Yeah, the crimes continued after he went to prison and had no way to commit them, but he definitely did it"

[@Read-alert]

Like I know the attempted murder is the headline here, but the letters are absolutely still relevant

[@felsemheimer]

here's the thing. Paul couldn't have been sending the letters from Jail, that's for sure. Having someone else sending them for him seems weird, but maybe he was actually just obsessed. However if someone did set him up, as the last letter claimed it's weird that they would keep writing them. My first instinct to that first letter also was that it must have been a child. Especially because it was aimed towards a teacher. idk, I just don't agree with the "solved" part of that one I guess. Seems like there are a lot of pieces that don't quite fit

[@kitjohnson2767]

My theory is there was more than one person writing letters. One original letter writer and several copycats.

[@terencetinman29]

If Paul was guilty I wonder if someone close to him continued writing the letters in the hope that it would cause a retrial for Paul, it would explain why they stopped when he was released. A strange detail which wasn't explained was why Paul was so bothered about his brother-in-law's marriage? It seems strange that he would seek revenge for his death, especially with his own troublesome marriage. Is it possible Paul's wife set him up to get him out of the way while seeking revenge for her husband? If this was true though, it would suggest that there were at least two letter writers. However, if it was his wife, it would also explain why he could have been willing to take the fall.

[@joharhernandez-carr8504]

Ryan's reaction to Shane's noticing the pun in Circleville's slogan, was literally my reaction to my friend pointing out that the line "we can live like Jack and Sally if you want" from Blink 182's "Miss you" was referring to nightmare before Christmas. Hopefully i wasn't alone in this. 😅

[@justme.....2655]

The letters were all written in block letters which can be easily changed by anyone so the handwriting test wasn't helpful at all.

[@TG-nd9rj]

I saw the title and went "Oh interesting" because I live near-ish to a town named Circleville. Moved here in 2021 from Southern Illinois. Figured there's no way it was the same one.... 2 minutes in and I was proven very very wrong. I'm intrigued but also kinda freaked about this being so close to "Home". However also excited to hear the boys discussing an area I'm growing to love living in. Amazing episode as always!

[@EggsOnMyLegs]

I love how Shane and Ryan bounce off each other, best ghost hunting duo fr

[@bryantjames6038]

I'm from Circleville, its true there isn't much to do. Except the pumpkin show during October. My family still lives there, nice little town

[@nicky592]

I got goosebumps at each little bit of the reveal in the teaser at the end. The music, the shots, all fantastic too. I cannot wait

[@ronniephillips8900]

do you know what the music was!? i also thought it looked fantastic and wanted to find the song.

[@Johnmanbob]

The fallout of accused Doinking thing was very true, I had a coworker whose boyfriend kept accusing us of doinking on our graveyard shift together (we weren't) but he accused us of it so often, we did indeed eventually Doink 😅🤣💀

[@apeiceofgarbage9848]

Chances are the boyfriend was cheating. In my experience people accuse their partner of cheating because they think, "I can get away with cheating so I know they can get away with it too I bet they're cheating on me"

[@RemyDarling]

I missed you two SO DANGED MUCH. I didn't even know this channel EXISTED. I'M SO HAPPY RIGHT NOW.

[@Mysteryunlocker1]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jaW1noKKZb5gd80si=00YuY5nIbcy432jw If you like unlimited mystery videos Check ✅ our KZbin channel. thanks

[@eddieregretti]

my favourite show is BACK? and it ends with an announcement of a new food show witht he WORTH IT BOYS? all hail the watcher

[@apeiceofgarbage9848]

All hail the watcher indeed

[@pamelaleannefreeland9025]

Oh, wow! This one hits close to home- like, forty minutes away from home. So weird hearing you guys talk about Circleville. You’re right about one thing, leaving is the best thing you can do. 🤣

[@casual_nihilism]

Whole episode was great - but SO EXCITED for what Steven, Andrew, and Adam have coming :D

[@livk453]

the reveal at the end of the episode gave me the same rush as a marvel post credit scene easter egg so thank you for that

[@Mellnov24]

Solved?! What the hell!! The letters literally never stopped and Paul himself got a letter when they said he couldn’t have written them and they were postmarked from far away. I don’t buy that he had an accomplice. And we know polygraphs are a joke. I also don’t think he had enough motive. His ex-wife on the other hand… it was her brother who was being cheated on. She obviously could have had access to the gun too.

[@carterstanley2572]

My grandparents are from Circleville! My grandma works for the courthouse and my grandpa was the fire chief at around this time and they had to help with the investigation about these letters. Also, Circleville is actually a wonderful town

[@Greeklings]

I wish someone from the town from the 80's would write a book on this.

[@rgoodfellow]

Who did they think did it?

[@carterstanley2572]

@@rgoodfellow They both had their doubts after the verdict still but they also thought it was Paul Freshour

[@lizcarr6329]

So happy it’s finally Mystery Files season

[@wonderwoman3966]

I’m wondering why the sheriff was mentioned so much? Like when the tv program was being made and they got a letter that said leave the sheriff out of it and the fact that the sheriff did nothing how else was he connected to these people?

[@amandathecat]

Saw this in my feed before I left for work, finally settled and home to watch this. I lived less than 10-15 minutes from Circleville for a huge portion of my life, so I knew about this story but I'm fascinated to hear their take, lol.

[@astronaut1904]

35:58 so was there possibly a copy cat while he was in prison? Since they continued while the man didn’t send anything.

[@halotalim]

I moved from a town with a famous local supernatural cryptid to a town with one of the biggest mystery letter campaigns of all time. I love my life.

[@rgoodfellow]

I don’t think it was Paul. I still think it was his son Mark. Shane always jumps on the first suspect. How do you explain the letter he got in jail? Though I’m not sure the handwriting in that letter matches the previous ones but it’s still weird he got one. Who wrote it? He mailed it to himself? And what was the point of the boobytrap years later? I still think it was Mark.

[@r0siepurple853]

I’m so excited to see this show back! You guys present the information in such a fun and dynamic way! ⭐️

[@abdullahosmani13]

This feels like such a cold case. I have a lot of feeling that there's a lot left to figure out and just claiming Paul was the main perpetrator without any clear evidence is just not it.

[@lordvlygar2963]

How can one find a letter ripped up in a toilet, yet still claim to read it?

[@lainyhead]

Because she's a lying liar pants who wrote the damn things!

[@beek.4860]

I like that Ryan denies only that the Boogaras are doxxing Shane, indirectly implying that they are, in fact, sending him anthrax.

[@petercohen1268]

I'm only partway through this video but with Ron Gillespie's death and the phone call, it should be noted that August 19th 1977 was a Friday. If this person was observing them for a while, they'd probably have an idea of when and how much Ron drank on Friday nights, and used that knowledge to time the phone call so that he might drive drunk to confront them.

[@missatralissa]

OMG! I always wanted Ryan to cover this case on Unsolved, and now he's finally doing it!

[@darth_kal-el]

The case is solved so it wouldn’t have fit unsolved .

[@Bex-sj7oj]

I personally think it was Karen and Mark working to frame Paul. Karen made a lot of claims against him but he got custody of the kids which would have been super difficult for the father to do in rural Ohio in the 70s. That likely means the court saw something off with Karen. Also, why was she preventing it from being investigated?? It seems too convenient and I believe Paul was too self aware to have written all those letters. Victims of abuse are often the ones who seek counseling - not the abusers themselves - and Paul sought out therapy himself multiple times. Those letters had obsession and paranoia written all over them. There was also no way he could have written hundreds of letters while he was still in jail. Why was he convicted on circumstantial evidence only? Why would he have used his own gun in a booby trap? Why was the sherrif mentioned so many times? I think there was a lot missed here and i personally believe Paul was innocent.

[@Bex-sj7oj]

The framing of Paul also came right on the heels of Karen Sue's divorce - she could easily have been trying to get custody taken away from him. It's just too convenient in timing. The original letters may not have been her, but the ones in the 80s surely were!

[@hippychick43113]

This is awesome, this is my home town. The part where it says there's nothing to do but go to Columbus is basically true lol we are however known around the world for the Circleville Pumpkin Show "the greatest free show on earth" and our water tower is made to look like a pumpkin.

[@thomaskelliher]

I had to miss last year's Pumpkin Show because of health reasons and it made me want to fun into traffic

[@viewbuster1979]

I did appreciate the little piece of Zen at the end, so thank you.

[@sketchyskies8531]

As someone who lives about an hour and a half away from Circleville, I’m genuinely intrigued because I’d never heard of this before today