An arrest has been made in connection to the Ronceverte murders of Joseph and Daisy Foster.
Jeremiah Bleu Powell, 39, of Marlinton was arrested on Saturday, Aug. 28, in Pocahontas County without incident, according to information provided by Greenbrier County Sheriff Bruce Sloan. This arrest comes after a lengthy investigation.
Joseph (Danny) Foster and Daisy had lived in their Fullen Cemetery Road home in Ronceverte for over 40 years. On Apr. 2, 2020, the Fosters were found deceased in that home following a fire that completely destroyed the residence.
In a prior interview with the West Virginia Daily News, the Fosters’ daughter, Crystal, stated that during the initial investigation, officers discovered that her parents had been murdered, and their home set on fire to cover up the crime.
Danny Foster had recently retired from Jiffy Foam where he had been employed for 42 years. Daisy Foster, affectionately referred to as “Mother Hen,” ran a daycare.
The couple was laid to rest at Fullen Cemetery.
Although nothing will be able to bring the Fosters back, this arrest may help bring some form of closure to a family in mourning.
“When we got the phone call, it hit us all at once,” Crystal Foster told the West Virginia Daily News following the arrest.
She added that on the night of Powell’s arrest, an officer called her to state that he had Powell sitting in the back of the police car.
“He didn’t provide a whole lot of details,” Foster said of the officer during the phone call. “But he said that this is a step in the right direction.”
“We are happy and scared,” Foster said of herself and her sister, Sara. “We wonder what’s next in the process. It is finally a relief that we are one step closer to where we want to be.”
She said the first person she and her sister told after hearing of the arrest was their grandmother, Irene Mann.
“She was very happy,” Foster remembered. “She misses them.”
Mann, who will turn 93 years old on Sept. 11, told her grandchildren that she never thought she would outlive her youngest daughter, Daisy.
“We are still in shock, but glad that it has finally come to the point where they have someone,” Foster said.
She noted that she and Sara are reliving the nightmare with news of the arrest and wondering why someone from Pocahontas County would come all the way to a “little dead-end road” in Ronceverte and commit a crime like this.
“Why? How?” Foster asked. “We did not know him. We have never seen him. We can’t place a connection.”
Foster said that she is appreciative of the hard work of those who aided in the investigation.
“They have been working non-stop and they have kept in contact with us. We are very, very appreciative. They have been amazing.”
Powell has been charged with two felony counts of first degree murder. He is currently being held at Tygart Valley Regional Jail. No bond has been set.
The investigation has been active since the discovery of the crime and remains active.
Anyone with information related to this crime is encouraged to contact the Greenbrier County Sheriff’s Department at 304-647-6634 or Crime Stoppers of West Virginia at 304-255-STOP or email at www.crimestopperswv.com. Information may be provided anonymously.
A $10,000 reward is being offered by the West Virginia State Fire Marshal’s office for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator(s).
Lt. G.R. Workman and Cpl. A.L. Workman of the Greenbrier County Sheriff’s Department; Sgt. N.J. Hersman of the West Virginia State Police; and Scott Rodes of the WV State Fire Marshal’s office are the investigating officers.
Trooper Petite of the Marlinton State Police Detachment assisted in Powell’s arrest.
