The Sodders spent years travelling across the United States to try and track down their children, following tips and reported sightings. George, an Italian immigrant, had been very outspoken against Mussolini, and there were theories that the kids had been taken by the Sicilian Mafia. The bodies of the other five weren’t recovered from the blaze, and the Sodders suspected the fire had been caused by arson, and the children abducted. At the time, George and Jennie Sodder and nine of their 10 children were inside, and only four of the children escaped safely.

In the middle of the night on Christmas Eve in 1945, the home of the Sodder family burned down. But the letter writing continued while he was locked up, with hundreds of residents getting letters up until 1994. After investigation, Mary’s brother-in-law was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the crime. Luckily, Mary opened the trap in a way that didn't set the gun off, so she wasn't hurt. In 1983, Mary tried to remove one of the road signs and was faced with a booby trap – a box that contained a gun, designed to shoot whoever opened it.

His death was ruled an accident and the harassment continued, in the form of both letters and threatening road signs. The letters stopped for a while, until one day in 1977 when her husband was found dead in his truck, after taking a call from who he thought was the letter writer. Then her husband started receiving letters. The author warned Mary that he had been keeping an eye on her home and her actions. One resident, Mary Gillispie, received a ton of letters, accusing her of having a nonexistent affair. Each letter included secret disturbing details about their personal lives. In 1976, residents of the small city near Columbus, Ohio began receiving handwritten sinister and graphic letters.

Charles lazarus unsolved mysteries