Body found believed to be that of missing man

November 19, 2011 By KATIE SCHWENDEMAN - Staff Writer (kschwendeman@mojonews.com) , Morning Journal News   LISBON -A body found by the Columbiana County Sheriff's Office Friday afternoon just outside of Salineville is believed to be that of Lisbon area resident Gerald G. Klusch, 71, who was reported missing by his family Sept. 30. Sheriff Ray Stone said Detective Andy Sweeney and Klusch's son Ryan located the body on Hazel Run Road at 3:20 p.m. Sweeney was following up on a lead when he spotted the body near the rural road, Stone said. It was found about a mile east of the Clarks Mill Road intersection in a rural area with no houses nearby. Stone said the one lane gravel road did not appear to have been traveled frequently and that there were no fresh tire marks leading to the body. A sign posted along the road indicates it does not receive winter maintenance. He also said that although the death appears suspicious, nothing unusual was found with the body and that it appeared to have been there for quite some time. Evidence such as Klusch's credit cards and an identification card were found near the body, however. "We are 99 percent positive it was him," he said. The Cuyahoga County Coroner's Office is conducting the autopsy, and the sheriff's department has no "clear-cut" suspects at this time, although deputies are still conducting interviews, he added. Klusch, who lived on U.S. Route 30 and owned six properties in the area, was reportedly last seen by one of his farm employees around 1:30 p.m. Sept. 29. His abandoned pickup was found the following afternoon by his family off Beacon Light Road in Center Township, which is one of the several tracts of land in the area owned and farmed by Klusch. Ryan Klusch called the sheriff's office Sept. 30 to report his father missing. A search immediately ensued, aided by the family, volunteer firefighters from area departments and a local search-and-rescue group. The search was also assisted by helicopter and on the ground with search dogs. Earlier this week the family offered a $20,000 reward for new information or leads that would help officials locate him. © Copyright 2011 Morning Journal News.