The photo, which fictitiously features the female officer involved in a sex act with a man, was mailed to a list of 40 city officials, residents, local businesses, and the Pataskala police department.
The photograph is copied onto a piece of paper and features a genuine image of the officer standing next to a police car, juxtaposed with a doctored image of the officer naked, having sex.
According to police, the envelopes were all marked on the back with the words "Adult Content." The envelopes also reportedly refer to a website where the photo can be viewed, in addition to the hard copy inside the envelope.
Local Pataskala residents are currently under an advisory to avoid opening any suspect mail. There is some speculation over what the mailer's motives were, but police have not released any information other than that the mailer could face possible charges of pandering obscenity, libel and defamation of character.
The malicious letters, which have no return address, are now being traced to Johnstown, Pa., where investigators think the letters were mailed because of the postmark. Johnston is 227 miles east of Pataskala.
Forshey and investigators have requested cooperation from Johnstown police and postal authorities as they continue to hunt down the identity of the mailer.
"We're still very optimistic. There's still a lot of groundwork to be done," Forshey said in a statement.