He’s far from done.
When Ryan Allar, chief detective for the Belmont County Sheriff’s Office, held a press conference on the one-year anniversary of the double homicide, he explained thaen that tips had been offered and the leads followed, and he insisted the case was not cold then.
Allar’s most important message in September 2022, was that investigators still need the public’s help if the murders of Tom and Angela Strussion are ever to be solved. He sends a very similar message today only because, “There’s never too much evidence.
“Regardless of how insignificant you think your information might be or whether you think we already are aware of it,” he said last week. “Please contact us and allow us to make that determination.”
Back in September 2022, Allar asked the community if anyone knew anyone who:
- Had suffered unexplained injuries?
- Suddenly departure from the area after the offense?
- Was in the possession of new personal items or money?
- Experiences changes in mood, lifestyle patterns, or appearance?
- Or seems to have intense interest in or avoidance of this case?
The chief detective said: “Any, any, ANY information someone may have is welcome. Any tip, small or large, even if it sounds ridiculous, just give us a call, write us a letter or an email, or send us a text message. We will look at it and address it appropriately. We’ll follow up on anything.”
Allar has said the same recently even though 32-year-old defendant Andrew Isaac Griffin is behind bars in Belmont County. Griffin, Tom Strussion’s former business partner, was charged with two counts of aggravated murder, arrested on February 18th Hilo, extradited from Hawaii more than a week ago, and arraigned on 14 charges including two counts of aggravated murder. The Oklahoma native is now incarcerated without bail.
“These murders took place here so we’re confident there are people here in the area that know something we’ve not heard yet. Maybe they think it’s insignificant, but that shouldn’t stop them,” he said. “We’ve said from the beginning that we’ll speak with anyone anytime.”
Why ‘Shush’ Has Been the Only Word
He said this two-and-a-half years ago, and Detective Allar has insisted the same while serving as a guest on River Talk Radio’s “Novotney Now” weekday afternoon program.
“The fact I can’t comment on any of the facts of this case doesn’t mean there aren’t people out there who know what happened to Tom and Angela,” he said then. “I just can’t speak to any of the facts of the case right now.”
Allar has repeated those words a countless number of times since September 21, 2021.
Yes, firefighters responded to a 9-1-1 call that morning along Trails End Road. Once the blaze was extinguished, the first responders discovered the couple deceased. The victims were identified as the owners of two Salsa Joe’s locations, and now-retired Belmont County Sheriff Dave Lucas announced the day after that Tom and Angela had been murdered.
Was there a struggle? Were the victims bound? Did deputies discover signs of torture? Have any employees from the Belmont or Wheeling locations offered any clues?
Crickets then. Crickets now.
The detective has refused to describe the crime scene, and Allar will not confirm or deny if a motive has been determined. The public did learn from the indictment that at least one firearm was allegedly used and a burglary allegedly took place, too.
“Releasing too much information is never a good idea when you’re working with an ongoing case like this one, but everything will come out during the trial,” he said. “And we’ll be working this case every day until the trial is over.
“We’ve traveled a lot of miles and had a lot of conversations through the years, and we’re ready to have more if someone wants to talk to us. All they have to do is call the Hotline if they want to help bring justice to Angela’s and Tom’s families. They’ve had a tough time with all of this and these families need some peace.”
The “hotline” telephone number is 740-695-7933 Ext. 122. The web page is belmontsheriff.com. The Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100066677853645.
“I wish it was like it is on TV with every case getting solved within the hour. That sure would save us a lot of time and money,” Allar said. “That’s just not how it works the vast majority of the time, and it’s definitely not how it worked with this case.”
