Two residents of Bellaire arrested as police investigate double murder | News, Sports, Jobs

Anthony Dibacco

ST. CLAIRSVILLE – Two residents of Bellaire are in jail charged with extortion based on evidence uncovered in the double murder investigation.

Belmont County Sheriff David Lucas announced Monday morning that Anthony Michael Dibacco and Miana Maylyn Smith were behind bars after being linked in a plot to extort Thomas Strusion. Strussion and his wife, Angela, were found dead at their Belmont area home on Tuesday morning after a structural fire was reported there.

Dibacco and Smith were arrested after a search warrant was served on a Guernsey Street address in Bellaire. Detectives are still working to determine if the blackmail plot is linked to the death of the Strussions, the sheriff said.

Dibacco and Smith are being held without bond at the Belmont County Jail. Information about the case is passed to the prosecutor’s office to determine whether additional charges will be filed.