Wife’s Mystery Death REOPENED After Husband Kills Son: Police

A small city outside Little Rock, Arkansas is gripped by a mystery right. now. A beloved member of the community. allegedly takes her own life. But then. weeks later, her son is found dead as. well. Now, police are zeroing in on a. suspect that no one expected. Welcome to. Sidebar, presented by Law on Crime. I'm. Jesse Weber. A man in ML, Arkansas is under arrest. right now. He is accused of killing his.

own stepson. But this investigation was. turned on its head when police realized. that 50-year-old Scott Strauss might be. connected to not only one death in the. family, but two. November 7th, officers. responded to a home for a call about. someone found dead after harming. themselves. This is 21-year-old Michael. Hudson Page. had what appeared to be a. fatal gunshot wound. But local outlet. Kark K.

reports that investigators were. immediately suspicious. They were saying. that the evidence didn't quite support a. finding of suicide. So they reclassified. it as a homicide. But per the outlet, Scott Strauss, this is Paige's. stepfather, was the only other person. inside the home when Paige died. So what. happened? He was arrested at the scene. and he was charged with firstdegree. murder and tampering with physical. evidence. But then the sheriff's office. put out this statement. Now this is. again per KK Clark just a few days.

later. Quote, "In light of recent events. in ML, the Palaski County Sheriff's. Office has decided to take another look. at a previous case within our. jurisdiction. The matter is currently. under review and remains under. investigation. We will share additional. information when available. Well, the. outlet reports that this investigation. they're reopening involves Bridget. Strauss. So, this is Scott's wife and. Paige's mother. She died just weeks.

before her son died on September 23rd. And that death was also reported as a. suicide at the time. But it seems based. on this reporting, based on these. statements that that now is being. re-examined. So what evidence police may. have found other than, you know, just. the odd connection to two different. family deaths, we don't know. That is. not clear. But according to Arkansas. court records, Strauss appeared in court. for his first appearance on November.

9th. He entered a not-uilty plea to both. the murder and the tampering with. evidence charges. He's next expected in. court in January 2027. And at first, Strauss had no bond, but the jail. records show that that has been updated. to a $250,000 bond. So, for now, he's. still behind bars. But I want to explore. maybe what's going on behind the scenes. What can we read between the lines here? Let me bring in right now retired. detective, former chief investigator, Lisa Miller. Lisa, thank you so much for.

taking the time. Look, we can't 100%. confirm that whatever this, and I'm. gonna be clear, we're going to take. another look at a previous case within. our jurisdiction if it's Bridget. Strauss, but if you put two and two. together, does it look like that that's. what they're investigating? >> Well, it it does, and reasonably so. from what they saw on the first time. when they responded to this uh. allegations of a suicide with her. Now. they have a different lens to view. everything through. 45 days later.

there's a staged suicide apparently with. uh her son, his stepson. It's very. appropriate to take a look and see if. all the pieces of the puzzle fit. Now, as they're looking at it through this. different lens of knowing this man. attempted to arrange something to make. it look like it was something else, >> it is possible. It's completely. disconnected, right? It is possible. someone could have taken their life and. yet there could have been something some.

sort of conflict weeks later and that's. a homicide. Not I mean again he's. innocent unless proven guilty but it is. possible that although it seems strange. and the timing seems strange they could. be disconnected. >> truly because we're talking about grief. and trauma and people after grief trauma. do very different things and their. behaviors they can act out. Uh we don't. know the dynamics behind this family at. all. So, it could be an absolute. nothing, but police must do their due. diligence in respect for for her and for.

everybody that loves all of them to see. exactly what happened. >> To be clear, we don't have a lot of. information about this. So, we're kind. of piecing together and speculating, but. when they say that, if they're looking. at Bridget Strauss's death, what do they. do to go back and look at it? like why. would they initi they say okay maybe we. were what too quick to say that might. have been um a suicide in that case we. miss something but then we see. commonalities in this case I mean what. do they do to go back to make a.

connective tissue or maybe go back and. say maybe that wasn't a suicide. >> well they're going to start off you know. they don't necessarily have the scene. right away so they're going to start off. taking a look at the body cam video from. the first responding uh police officers. that got there if you know police. responded early enough. They're going to. take a look at the scene photos. They're. going to take a look at um the. pathologist report from the autopsy that. was done. Um what were if any her. injuries because I don't think we really.

know definitively what her cause of. death was. So, they're going to evaluate. all those things. They're going to talk. to the first responders at the scene and. ask them questions like when you're. trying or attempting to look at and see. if any life-saving measures could be. taken here. Uh what if anything did you. move? Uh what if it anything did you. notice about the scene? And if it was my. case and was wanting to take a look, I. would make an effort to go back to the. scene itself and get a search warrant.

for that scene and take a look around. You know, you hear homicide. investigators, we talk about the scene. speaks to us. I never really say the. scene speaks to me, but when you're on a. scene, you get a feel for the scene. You. get a sp feel feel for space that. photographs just can't tell us. So, I. would want to know what that scene. actually feels like and if what was said. happened could actually have occurred in. in the space that it occurred in. >> Real quick, anybody own a business out. there? Manage a business, run a.

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business to the next level by consulting. with an ODO expert today for free at. odo.com/sidebar. How difficult would it be theoretically, hypothetically speaking, for someone to. stage a scene to make it look like a. suicide? And if we take the speculation. as true, and again, we don't know all. details. He's innocent unless proven. guilty. But it must have been a done in. a way where initially led investigators.

to believe it was a suicide. I mean, like how how difficult is it to stage a. scene uh to stage a homicide to make it. look like a suicide? >> Well, it depends. And I don't know a lot. about, you know, the training and. experience of the individuals that. respond to this scene. Um, clearly we know that people are good. enough to do this. They have to though. be aware of a lot of different things. They have to be able to match up their. statements with what the physical.

evidence shows us. So, let's use a. firearm. And once again, we don't know. exactly what her cause of death is, but. let's say a firearm was used. You want. to be able to match in the case of a. suicide with what the scene is telling. you, uh, the type of cartridge, where. the cartridge is, where the firearm is, but most importantly, you're going to. look at the blood evidence and the. trajectory, uh, the handedness. Is she. left-handed? Is she right-handed? So,

once again, I'm using a an example. because we don't know, but those are the. types of things that we as investigators. look at. Well, when they look at the son. and you know, initially that he died. from a fatal gunshot wound and now. they're saying there were aspects of. that scene that seemed suspicious and. not like self-inflicted that it's they. classified it reclassified as a. homicide. Those are some of the things. that they might have been looking at, right? Like the trajectory of the. bullet, the bullet w the the the gunshot. wound, the pooling. Can you explain a.

little bit more about that? You know, what would be because you know sometimes. in these cases it becomes a battle of. the experts at a trial, right? Some say. it's self-inflicted. Some say it had to. have been um you know fired from a. distance or fired from the back of. someone, you know, in back of someone's. head. I mean, how definitive can you be. on those characteristics, pathology. reports, crime scene technicians about. whether or not something was. self-inflicted? >> Well, I will tell you in this case with. Scott, something stood out to these. investigators right away because they. responded. They being the emergency.

responders went to that scene in the. morning and by that evening on the same. day uh Scott was arrested. So we know. something stood out because they didn't. need a pathology report. They didn't. need the autopsy. That wasn't done in. the middle of the afternoon more likely. than not. So they're taking a look and. what he is saying happened, what he's. saying he saw, they had to have seen. something different. And yeah, we do see. um someone will say they had to have.

killed themselves or I saw them shoot. themselves and they had the gun right up. to the positioning on their head. And. when we take a look at the evidence of. that, it doesn't match. We take a look. at where the gun may be laying. We take. a look at cleanup. Um if if things were. altered, if the body was moved and the. medical responders didn't do that. um. statements, the statements that the. person that finds the body makes must. match the physical evidence.

>> And look, speculation here, he's. innocent unless proven guilty, but it. makes you do wonder if they really are. looking at Bridget's death. There could. be a theory. He thought he could get. away with it once. Did he think he could. get away with it again? if something. works, if he allegedly is involved in. her death and they reclassifies a. homicide, which we do not know and we do. not know if that's what they're looking. at, but hypothetically speaking, someone. could say, "Well, you know, that that.

that method worked. Let's try it again.". Because, and this is completely. different, but in your experience, even. when we talk about like serial killers, right? They have an MO. Something works, they don't get caught, they continue. using that particular method. Am I. totally off about that? You're not off. But I I would use it I. would use a comparison maybe not the. serial killer case. I would use a. comparison of a thief, an embezzler. >> Okay. >> They take start off they start off. taking a little bit of money, right? They get by with it. The next time they.

come along because they got by they get. a little greedy. They take a little bit. more the next time. So I would think. whatever this family dynamics and this. will be a very important part of the. criminal investigation here. I think. it's going to be important to know what. the dynamics are and then if he felt. like because he got away with one. potentially once again we we have to. honor and value his um innocent until. proven guilty. But that is part of what.

I think law enforcement will be looking. at. What are the dynamics? What what. happened the first time and was the. second time was this death with his. stepson of his was that related? Was was. there questions being asked? Why why did. the second death have to occur after the. first one? >> Why would the sheriff's office even put. out a statement? Like they could. investigate behind the scenes, not say. anything, and then something results, something doesn't result. We would never.

know. Why put out a statement saying, "Again, in light of recent events, the. sheriff's office decides to take another. look at a previous case within our. jurisdiction. Matters currently under. review, remains under investigation. will share additional information when. available. Why would they do that? >> No, maybe they wanted tips and that's. their way of getting people to come. forward uh with two deaths. You know, I. I'm of the school. We we see these. investigations and it makes it really. hard for people like you, Jesse, or or. someone like me to talk about a case.

when the police shut all the information. down. That's kind of where I come from. in the early phases of an investigation. Keep it all quiet. I don't want anything. leaking out. However, there are times. that when you want more information, the. most effective weapon against crime is. cooperation. So maybe they're wanting. that cooperation. >> Well, ML, our understanding, has a. population of around 20,000. So it is. possible that somebody knows something, >> right? Suburbs, you know, small these.

small communities, even outside, you. know, an area like Little Rock. neighborhoods, people still do talk. people know and if there's there's. fighting, there's argue arguments in the. driveway, arguments in the backyard, people people hear those things, people. know these things and thankfully people. call in and let law enforcement know. what they saw. Um, and especially when. they know it maybe led to something. tragic and awful. Do you think that we. would hear an announcement from them. again about this relatively soon or if.

nothing turns out right if they don't. find anything during the course of their. investigation? Do they have to issue. another statement saying no it's that. matter is now closed and then they don't. say what it is? I mean what do you think. we're going to hear next? >> I hope we don't hear anything for a. while to be honest with you. I I hope. they just lock it down and do their. investigation and perform their full due. diligence. If it turns into something, I think we. can anticipate seeing charges and that. may be the next thing that we hear. And. if it's nothing, if if they can't show.

that her death was anything other than a. suicide, then I think it's their. responsibility to issue a statement. about that because we have a jury pool. to think of in the charges that he's. actually facing now. And we don't want a. jury pool tainted by them thinking and. hearing that he may be responsible for a. second one because people can't people. can't un unhear you know what they hear. on TV or or read online. So I think it's.

a burden and a responsibility for that. agency to clear this up if it's nothing. By the way, I didn't ask you. specifically, but tampering the. tampering with evidence charge, do you. believe that is with respect to an. allegation to staging the scene to make. it look like a suicide? Are we looking. at it the right way? >> Oh, I think we absolutely are because. that that's exactly how I would have my. prosecutors charge it. That's what I. would be putting in my affidavit. if he. moved a weapon, if he moved a body, if. he tried any type of cleanup, if he.

tried to u write a suicide note, um any. of any of these things, absolutely. that's tampering and absolutely it. should be an indicator to what we see uh. in staged deaths. >> It's more of a legal question, but also. I want your perspective on it. So, um. initially Strauss had no bond, as I. mentioned. Um now it's been updated to a. $250,000 bond. For now, he's still. behind bars. Not sure if he's going to. be able to post that. Um, but he's. facing murder charges. He's facing. murder and tampering with evidence. charges. Are you surprised that a bond.

would be issued at all? >> Well, Bond, it's not B, you know, he's. locked up. He He's in a jail cell right. now. He still has a presumption of. innocence. So, bond is to make sure they. appear again. I It's not a form of. punishment. It it's not to keep them in. forever. Different jurisdictions have. different bond settings. So, I I I. really try not to get too in the weeds. That that's something that's beyond was. beyond my control when I was working. We.

can't control that. Um so, it. establishes that he has to give up. something if he gets out. So, he shows. up for his next court appearances. >> Sure. Look, a danger to community is. always a factor, but he is innocent. unless proven guilty. Although, if he is. charged with something else, I'm sure. that will change the analysis. Uh very. much so. Um, >> I would certainly hope the judge looks. at it different if he's charged with a. second murder. Yes. >> Yeah. Okay. Well, look, a lot of things. to think about in this case. We're going.

to keep a careful eye on it. We will see. if the sheriff's office says something. soon or doesn't say anything. Um, but. clearly they're working behind the. scenes um and looking at something uh as. this new case progresses. Lisa, thank. you so much for taking the time. Appreciate it. >> Jesse, thank you for having me. I. appreciate you. >> And that's all we have for you right now. here on Sidebar. Everybody, thank you so. much for joining us. I'm Jesse Weber. Speak to you next time.