Belmont County Sheriff Dave Lucas explained this afternoon the reason why he has refused to offer many details concerning the double murders of Tom and Angela Strussion is because the investigation will continue for an undetermined amount of time.
The Strussions owned and operated Salsa Joe’s 740 in Belmont and Salsa Joe’s 304 in the Elm Grove area of Wheeling.
The husband and wife were discovered deceased Tuesday morning in their home along Trails End Road in Belmont, Ohio. A fire was reported at the residence and after firefighters responded the couple was found inside. Lucas refused to identify where in the home the victims were discovered, and the sheriff also would not confirm whether or not weapons were involved in the double homicide.
“We have informed the public that we determine the scene was suspicious,” Lucas said. “And we have identified the victims today. As I said during today’s press conference, the autopsies are taking place today and tomorrow at the county coroner’s office.
“But that is all we are going to say at this time because of the investigation. We will do our best to find out exactly what happened,” the sheriff said. “Once we feel we can share more with the public, we will share it, and we will notify all of the media at that time.”
Crime scene tape has surrounded the residence since yesterday, and deputies with Belmont County Sheriff Office have had a presence on the property since yesterday morning.
“I’m sure that will be the case for a while because of the amount of work these types of investigations take,” Lucas explained. “We are protecting the property right now, and we understand people want to know what happened because these kinds of crimes don’t happen in this area very often.”
