Episode 62: The Suspicious Death of Orville Gibson
The initial suspects in Orville’s death
Orville Gibson and his wife, Evelyn, owned a successful, 300-acre farm in Newbury, Vermont. Despite their good luck with the family business, the local people of the small country town did not like the Gibson’s, mainly Orville. He was known to be a proud man who chose a fight over resolution, and was very quick to make an enemy of someone. The childless pair never went out to party or go to local events, and were known to stay inside and keep to themselves.
Around Christmas in 1957, Orville got into an altercation with his loyal farmhand, Eri Martin. This resulted in Orville severely beating Eri and got him charged with breaching the peace. The town was furious over the injuries Eri received, as he was well-loved by the community. Because of the attack, Orville was scheduled to appear in the local municipal court to face charges. On the day he was supposed to be there, December 31st, Orville disappeared.
Orville was reported missing by his wife when he didn’t join her for breakfast after his morning chores. An investigation turned up evidence of a struggle in the barn; a dented milk pail, scuff marks on the floor, and a trail of straw and feed leading out the barn and down the road. Orville was nowhere to be found.
Three months later, Orville’s body washed ashore on the Connecticut River Valley, about 7.5 miles downstream. He had his hands tied behind his knees and his feet bound. His official cause of death was asphyxiation, meaning that he had died before he was thrown in the water. Despite the facts, nobody was ever charged with Orville’s murder, and a lot of those interested in the case believe that Orville killed himself. To this day, the story of Orville’s death remains a mystery.
Anyone with any information on the suspicious death of Orville Gibson is asked to please call Captain Dunlap at (802) 244-8781.
Image sources:
kcrw.com - “The Story of Orville Gibson”