Autopsy Results from Double Homicide Not to Be Released by Belmont County Sheriff

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Belmont County Sheriff Dave Lucas said today he will not be releasing any information concerning the autopsy results on the two victims in a double homicide Tuesday morning.

Husband and wife Tom and Angela Strussion were discovered deceased at their home along Trails End Road in Belmont, Ohio after a fire was reported. The autopsies, according to the sheriff, were performed Wednesday and Thursday by the county coroner.

“No autopsy information will be released at this time due to the sensitivity of the investigation,” Lucas said this morning.

A photo of a nice house.
The Strussion property is surrounded by crime scene tape and deputies with the Belmont County Sheriff’s Office have had a presence since Tuesday morning.

Initially, Lucas and his investigators deemed the crime scene “suspicious” late Tuesday, and then on Wednesday, the sheriff announced the victims’ identities and that it was determined to be a double homicide. He said Wednesday he would not release details concerning the crime scene because of the ongoing investigation, but he did confirm the schedule for the autopsies.

The Strussions owned and operated two restaurants, Salsa Joe’s in Belmont and also in the Elm Grove section of Wheeling. The eateries have not been open since Monday evening. The couple was very active in the Upper Ohio Valley community, participating in several charitable events during the past year.

Steve Novotney
Steve Novotney
Steve Novotney has been a professional journalist for 33 years, working in print for weekly, daily, and bi-weekly publications, writing for a number of regional and national magazines, host baseball-related talks shows on Pittsburgh’s ESPN, and as a daily, all-topics talk show host in the Wheeling and Steubenville markets since 2004. Novotney is the co-owner, editor, and co-publisher of LEDE News, and is the host of “Novotney Now,” a daily program that airs Monday-Friday from 3-6 p.m. on River Talk 100.1 & 100.9 FM.

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