HEIDI CHILDS and DAVID METZLER - 18 and 19 yo (2009) - Montgomery County VA

The bodies of David Lee Metzler, 19, of Lynchburg and Heidi Lynn Childs, 18, of Forest were discovered early Thursday by a passerby at Jefferson National Forest, Montgomery County Sheriff Lt. Brian Wright said. Both appeared to have been shot.

Wright said Metzler's body was found inside a car in the parking area of the Caldwell Fields campground, and Childs was found outside the car. The campground is about 15 miles from Virginia Tech's campus in Blacksburg.

A suspect has not been identified and autopsies were being conducted in Roanoke.

The latest killings are hitting a campus still reeling from the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history and the gruesome beheading of a student earlier this year.

Metzler was a sophomore industrial and systems engineering major, and Childs was a sophomore biochemistry major.

In an e-mail to students and staff, Virginia Tech President Charles Steger again was counseling his campus community. Two years ago, a student gunman killed 32 others and himself. In January, a doctoral student beheaded a fellow student in a campus cafe.

"Trauma like this is deeply painful to us all," Steger wrote. "Once again, this community is visited by senseless violence and tragedy upon aspiring young minds from our campus.

"I know that many of you likely have complex feelings about now. How can this happen in this area, at this time, to this community?"

He said the pair were victims of a homicide sometime Wednesday night and died of gunshot wounds. The university will post information about memorial services on its Web site, Steger said.

Virginia Tech University President Charles W. Steger sent the following letter to students about the deaths:

"It is with great sorrow that I write to you about an off-campus tragedy involving Virginia Tech students. The Montgomery County Sheriff has confirmed that two Virginia Tech students were the victims of a homicide sometime last night.
They were found early this morning by a passerby near the Caldwell Fields area of northern Montgomery County, a popular day use area within the Jefferson Forest, about 12-15 miles from campus. Both were victims of gunshot wounds.
The Montgomery County Sheriff has notified families and subsequently announced the victims as David Metzler, 19, a sophomore in industrial and systems engineering from Lynchburg and Heidi Childs, 18, a sophomore in biochemistry from Forest, Virginia. The sheriffs office continues its investigation and search for a suspect. Any who feels that they might have knowledge related to this should contact the sheriff at 540-382-2951.
The Dean of Students Office will assist the families where appropriate. We have no knowledge at this time of memorials or a memorial services, but will post information once approved by the families on the university website.
Trauma like this is deeply painful to us all. Once again, this community is visited by senseless violence and tragedy upon aspiring young minds from our campus. I know that many of you likely have complex feelings about now. How can this happen in this area, at this time, to this community? I urge you to counsel your colleagues and fellow students and to seek help if at all necessary. Individuals or groups with special needs are encouraged to contact the Cook Counseling Center at 231-6557.
We extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to the families and will assist in any way possible. No amount of words can counteract their grief, but know that the university administration and everyone within this community intensely feels this pain."
Very sincerely yours,
Charles W. Steger

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office
increased patrols today in the area near Caldwell Fields in the
Jefferson National Forest following the shooting deaths of two Virginia
Tech students.

Deputies returned to the scene today, searching for any clues that
may help them determine what led to the deaths of Heidi Childs, 18, and
David Metzler, 19, both from the Lynchburg area.

Their bodies were found by a passer-by around 8 a.m. in the parking
area at Caldwell Fields - a campground popular with Tech students
located about 15 miles from campus in northern Montgomery.

Meantime, the Roanoke Times has reported that Montgomery
investigators had identified and were trying to locate persons of
interest who had been seen in the area. Sheriff Tommy Whitt, however,
offered no details

Whitt said both victims appeared to have been shot, but he declined
to identify where or how many times. Metzler’s body was found inside a
car; Childs’ body was found outside the vehicle.

“It’s brutal. It’s ugly,“ Whitt said.

No weapon was found at the scene, and authorities are investigating the shootings as a double homicide.* * * * * * The fragile calm of a Virginia Tech community still traumatized by
the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history was shattered again
yesterday when two students were found dead, apparently shot, in the
Jefferson National Forest.
The bodies of Heidi Lynn Childs, 18, and David Lee Metzler, 19, both
of the Lynchburg area, were found by a passer-by around 8 a.m. in the
parking area at Caldwell Fields - a campground popular with Tech
students located about 15 miles from campus in northern Montgomery
County.
Montgomery Sheriff Tommy Whitt said both victims appeared to have
been shot, but he declined to identify where or how many times.
Metzler’s body was found inside a car; Childs’ body was found outside
the vehicle.
“It’s brutal. It’s ugly,“ Whitt said.
No weapon was found at the scene, and authorities are investigating the shootings as a double homicide.
Metzler was a sophomore at Tech majoring in industrial and systems
engineering. Childs, also a sophomore, was an honors student and
biochemistry major attending Tech on full scholarship, said her father,
Donald Childs.
“She was supposed to be at an honors meeting at 8 this morning,“
Childs said last night during a brief phone interview with the Richmond
Times-Dispatch.
“She was a fine young lady. . . . I have eight children, and you
know, the number of children you have has no bearing on your loss,“
said Childs, an aviation sergeant with the Virginia State Police. “A
wonderful, wonderful girl.“
Childs said his daughter and Metzler were friends who had “known
each other for years” and attended the same church. He called Metzler
“a fine young man.“
Both students lived off campus.
Metzler, a 2008 graduate of Brookville High School, was a good
soccer player and enjoyable to coach and teach, said John Vasvary, a
retired assistant principal and athletic director at the school.
“He just stood out because he had such a good personality,“ Vasvary
told The Lynchburg News & Advance. “He was from a good family all
around.“
A friend who answered the phone at the Metzler home last night said the family would not make a statement.
Childs said his daughter and Metzler were part of a group of about
30 local students who were going to Tech and active in Campus Crusade
for Christ.
“It is a great loss for our community, for our church,“ Childs said.
“She wanted to go into pre-med, so who knows what we lost there.
Horrible.“
State police Col. Steven W. Flaherty issued a statement of sympathy
last night. “I extend my most heartfelt condolences and deepest
sympathies to [Donald Child’s] loved ones, along with all members of
his state police family,“ Flaherty said.
In a letter to the Tech community early yesterday evening,
University President Charles W. Steger urged those who are suffering to
seek the comfort of friends or counselors.
“Trauma like this is deeply painful to us all,“ Steger wrote. “Once
again, this community is visited by senseless violence and tragedy upon
aspiring young minds from our campus. “
In January, Tech graduate student Haiyang Zhu attacked and beheaded
a fellow Chinese student, Xin Yang, with a kitchen knife at the
university’s Graduate Life Center.
On April 16, 2007, Tech student Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 students and
faculty members before taking his own life. An investigation revealed
that Cho had practiced with his weapons at a firing range in the
Jefferson forest.
In his remarks, Steger said: “We extend our deepest sympathies and
condolences to the families and will assist in any way possible.
“No amount of words can counteract their grief, but know that the
university administration and everyone within this community intensely
feels this pain.“
Investigators worked into last night trying to develop leads on a
killer. And the greater Tech community grieved again, this time with
the Metzler and Lee families, searching for answers.
“She was just, in my mind still, just the sweetest, nicest person,“
Sue Jones, who coached the home-schooled Childs in cross-country, told
the News & Advance.
“And I can’t imagine why somebody would want to do this.“

Funeral arrangements have been set for the two Virginia Tech sophomores, found dead on Thursday morning.

Heidi Child's visitation is on Sunday August 30 from 3:00-6:00 p.m. at Tharp Funeral home. Her
funeral is on Monday at Heritage Baptist from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m

David’s visitation is also on Sunday, but at Heritage Baptist Church chapel
from 3:00-6:00 p.m. His funeral is there on Monday from 1:00-2:30 p.m.

A passerby found 18-year-old Childs and 19-year-old Metzler shot dead in
a rural park 15 miles from campus Thursday. Police are investigating,
and have no suspects.

Virginia Tech is reaching out to students and professors who knew the two students and may need
counseling. They're also making counselors available at the Cook
Counseling Center for students.

Virginia Tech placed a wreath at the War Memorial Chapel to remember the two victims.

Lynchburg area remembers Virginia Tech students killed

David Metzler was 19, a graduate of Brookville High School, and was majoring in Industrial & Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech.
Heidi Childs, 18, had been home schooled and was attending Virginia Tech to study biochemistry.
Both were Lynchburg-area natives, attended Heritage Baptist Church and had worked at Mountain Frost Creamery.
Friends of the two said they were dating.
Both were found dead Thursday morning at Caldwell Fields Campground, a daytime-use facility off Craig Creek Road in Jefferson National Forest, according to officials with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.
Lt. Brian Wright said a passerby found the teenagers’ bodies around 8 a.m., and that the preliminary investigation revealed both suffered gunshot wounds.
Metzler was found inside a vehicle in the parking area of the campground, while Childs was found outside of the vehicle, Wright said.
Both were taken to the medical examiner’s office in Roanoke for autopsies.
Authorities are considering the deaths a double homicide, and had not identified a suspect as of Thursday evening.
Deborah Guthrie, retired assistant principal at Brookville High School, said she was devastated when she heard the news late Thursday.
“David was a wonderful student, gifted student academically and just kind to everyone,” she said.
“We have lost a young man who was destined for great things.”
Sue Jones, of Forest, said she coached Childs, also from Forest, on a home-school cross-country team.
Childs was one of the team’s top runners during her senior year in 2008, Jones said.
“She was just, is in my mind still, just the sweetest, nicest person, and I can’t imagine why somebody would want to do this,” Jones said.
“The world will be a sadder place without her, for sure,” Jones said, adding, “We’re just really praying for her family, because they’re very close.”
Brookville Principal Bruce Abbott, who has been at the reins since former principal Jim Whorley died in a boating accident in December, said he lived next door to the Metzler family, and preferred to keep his feelings private.
“It’s just a tragedy for two families,” he said, adding that Brookville would have counselors on hand for students or faculty who needed comfort following the tragedy.
John Vasvary, retired assistant principal and athletic director at Brookville, said, “I remember when he got accepted to Tech, he came right in to tell me.”
Vasvary, a Tech man himself, liked to give Brookville students who got into his alma mater a little something in honor of becoming new Hokies.
“He was the kind of kid you liked having at the school. He was fun,” Vasvary said, adding Metzler contributed his skills to Brookville’s soccer team.
Metzler remained loyal to Brookville and stopped by a few times after he graduated to visit.
“He was from a good family all around,” Vasvary said.
Metzler’s family had served as missionaries to China, and his father, Keith Metzler, practices medicine in Lynchburg.
Virginia Tech President Charles Steger released a statement lamenting another violent occurrence in the Virginia Tech community.
“Trauma like this is deeply painful to us all,” Steger said in the statement.
“Once again, this community is visited by senseless violence and tragedy upon aspiring young minds from our campus,” he said, adding “I know that many of you likely have complex feelings about now. How can this happen in this area, at this time, to this community?”
Steger urged the community to give counseling to each other, and seek counseling from each other, and also to make use of the college’s counseling center.
“We extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to the families and will assist in any way possible,” the statement concluded.
Col. W. Steven Flaherty, of the Virginia State Police, also released a short statement, extending condolences to Childs’ family.
Childs’ father, Sgt. Donald Childs, works for the Virginia State Police as a Med-flight helicopter pilot.
“Tonight, the Virginia State Police grieves with Sgt. Donald Childs and his family during this deeply difficult and painful time,” Flaherty said.
“I extend my most heartfelt condolences and deepest sympathies to his loved ones, along with all members of his state police family. I also ask that you keep the Metzler family in your thoughts and prayers as they grieve for David.”
Dr. Gerald Kroll, pastor of Heritage Baptist Church, said both were very active in the church, and would be missed.
“It’s a tragic day for us here,” he said.
“They were both very faithful and wonderful young people, and it’s a tragic loss.”
Guthrie, Brookville’s former assistant principal, said Metzler’s family had come to Lynchburg after serving as missionaries to China, and that she always saw him succeeding in whatever he did.
“(Metzler) was very dedicated to his projects and learning as much as he could,” she said, adding “always a smile on his face. You never saw David when he was down.”
“The Brookville community, I’m sure, is devastated as well. I know I am,” Guthrie said.
“I just can’t believe why anybody would want to hurt him.”
Jones said she couldn’t imagine anyone would have a motive for killing Childs or anyone associated with her.
“Whatever she did she did with excellence, and so everybody was her friend,” she said.
“This has to be just random because they were just so nice.”

As local residents pay their respects and funeral plans are set,
police still are searching for leads in the Montgomery County shooting
that claimed the lives of two Virginia Tech sophomores.
"We've been working it all day and all night, and we're not going to
stop until we find him," Lt. Norman Croy of the Montgomery County
Sheriff's Office said, referring to an unknown suspect or suspects.
Croy said the investigation is ongoing, and that the sheriff's office has no new information to release at this time.
Montgomery County authorities have said that Heidi Lynn Childs, 18,
of Forest and David Lee Metzler, 19, of Lynchburg apparently were shot
either Wednesday night or Thursday morning at Caldwell Fields, a group
campground in the Jefferson National Forest that is popular among Tech
students.
Montgomery County authorities increased patrols in the area Saturday afternoon, while Virginia State Police surveyed the scene.
"You'd never think something like that would happen around here,"
said Dana Brogan, who stopped by with her husband, Anthony Brogan, to
pay their respects.
The couple said they frequent the forest and heard the news Saturday
afternoon from a friend when they were on their way to take a leisurely
motorcycle ride through Caldwell Fields.
"It's just awful," Anthony Brogan said.
Brogan, 38, first introduced the area to his wife four years ago and
said it had been a staple in his life since he was 4 years old. Now, he
often visits for hunting, Brogan said.
He said the recent events have cast a black cloud over what he calls
an otherwise peaceful area, in which he would often see more than 20
Tech students at a time enjoying the campground.
Dana Brogan said the couple often bring their children with them,
but the double homicide has made her uneasy about doing so any time
soon.
DeDe and Garvice Jones have lived on nearby Harley Lane for 13 years
and said it was tragic that a violent killing occurred at a typically
peaceful place.
"It's just another black eye to the community," Garvice Jones said.
The couple rode to the site of the slayings and left a bouquet of maroon flowers.
Meanwhile, back-to-back funerals have been scheduled for Monday
afternoon in Lynchburg. And visitation with family members and viewings
will be held today for Childs and Metzler.
The visitation for Childs will be held this afternoon at the Tharp
Funeral Home at 220 Breezewood Drive in Lynchburg from 3 to 6 p.m.
Visitation for Metzler will be held during the same hours at the
Heritage Baptist Church chapel, just across the street from the funeral
home.
Funerals will be held Monday at Heritage Baptist's worship center,
with the ceremony for Metzler starting at 1 p.m. and the one for Childs
following at 3 p.m.
Meanwhile, a memorial service for the two may be held soon on the
Virginia Tech campus. In a letter Friday to the Tech community,
President Charles Steger wrote that details will be announced as soon
as the school receives information from the families.
An obituary for Childs published Saturday in The (Lynchburg) News
& Advance stated that "our beautiful, smiling Heidi went to see her
Jesus at the young age of 18."
Metzler's obituary stated that he "joyfully met his Savior, Jesus Christ, on Thursday, Aug. 27."
In lieu of flowers, the families are asking that contributions be
made to Campus Crusade for Christ, an organization both students were
actively involved in. The address for Tech's chapter is 211 Draper Road
N.W., Blacksburg, VA 24060.

Many questions remain unanswered more than a week after the slayings
of two young Virginia Tech students, as investigators continue to chase
leads in attempts to develop a suspect.
The bodies of David Metzler, 19, of Lynchburg and Heidi Childs, 18,
of Forest were found about 8 a.m. the morning of Aug. 27 by a man
walking his dog on Craig Creek Road in Montgomery County, more than
eight miles from its intersection with U.S. 460.
Metzler's car was parked at a day-use area of Caldwell Fields, a
popular hiking and camping spot in the Jefferson National Forest. His
body was inside it. Childs' was outside. Both had been shot, the
Montgomery County Sheriff's Office said.
Little else about the crime scene has been disclosed.
Investigators won't say how many times Metzler and Childs were shot, where on their bodies, or what type of gun was used.
They won't say what evidence was recovered at the scene; whether the
pair suffered any injuries other than gunshots; and whether anything,
such as their wallets or keys, was missing.
"We're not going to release anything that could have a chance of upsetting the investigation," Lt. Brian Wright said Friday.
What investigators have said is that the crime appeared to be
brutal, violent and random -- words that have alarmed many people in
the community.
Asked if the medical examiner's office ruled that the official
causes of death for Metzler and Childs were homicide, Wright said,
"That was never a question. The initial investigation showed that
without a doubt."
A motive for the killings has been elusive, Wright said, and investigators don't have a suspect or suspect vehicle.
"I can assure you that we're following up on every possible connection," Wright said.
Local, state and federal law enforcement agencies are assisting with the investigation.
Rumors about what may have happened and who could have done such a
thing are topics of conversation across the New River Valley and beyond.
Investigators are still asking for anyone who was in the area of
Caldwell Fields or the national forest shooting range on Craig Creek
Road in the 24 hours before Metzler and Childs were found to call them.
Virginia Tech has offered a $10,000 reward for information that helps
solve the case.
Metzler and Childs were last heard from about 8:30 or 9 p.m. the
night before they were found, Wright said. Craig Creek Road resident
Jeff Caldwell said a neighbor saw what he believes was Metzler's car
parked at Caldwell Fields when he got home from church that night.
It is unclear what time the young couple were killed.
Neighbors have said that, until they heard about the killings, they felt so safe that they kept their doors unlocked.
Now, doors are locked, and some residents who used to walk alone in the woods have stopped.
"We're still wondering who the person is" who committed the crimes,
Caldwell said. "Normally we don't have nothing to worry about down
here."
Caldwell Fields has two large fields that can be reserved for group
camping. The area is popular among hikers, bicyclists and fishermen. It
is visited by school-age children on field trips and people looking for
fossils.
Wright said visitors aren't being told to stay away from the area, but are being told to use caution.
"We're obviously urging everyone to use caution and be careful everywhere they go," he said.
Along with the sheriff's office, the U.S. Forest Service has
increased patrols in and around Caldwell Fields and the Pandapas Pond
day-use area, which is on the other side of U.S. 460.
Forest service officials are encouraging people to travel in groups and inform others of their whereabouts.
Laura Belleville, director of conservation for the Appalachian Trail
Conservancy in Blacksburg, said the trail crosses Craig Creek Road
about five miles north of Caldwell Fields.
Appalachian Trail volunteers were told they could reschedule any
work they had planned, partly, Belleville said, so that they won't
potentially be in the way of law enforcement officers who are still
keeping watch over the area.
"We're all on heightened awareness," Belleville said. "We're all being very vigilant about safety right now."

Nearly three weeks after two local Virginia
Tech students were found slain in Montgomery County, a local
cardiologist is attempting to gather money to put toward a $100,000
reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of their
killer.

David Metzler, of Campbell County, and Heidi Childs, of Forest, were
found dead near the Caldwell Fields camping area, about 15 miles north
of the Tech campus, the morning of Aug. 27.

Officials said they consider the deaths a double homicide.

Dr. Chad Hoyt, of Lynchburg, said Metzler’s father, Dr. Keith Metzler, approached him last week about trying to set up a reward.

“We really want to get this (person) that did this,” Hoyt said.

He said the reward compilation is being coordinated by state police,
who advised him to set the threshold for the reward so high.

“They basically said that when you get to that level, people tend to start to talk,” he said.

Hoyt said in less than a week, donors from the medical community
have raised $30,000, in addition to $10,000 from Virginia Tech. He’s
hoping for just as big of an outpouring from the local community.

“I know that there are lots of families in the area that are
wondering how can they do something, and I know they would like to
donate to the cause,” Hoyt said.

As a father of three children, and friend of one of the families, Hoyt said hearing about the deaths hit him hard.

“I’ve got three children and a wife … you just can’t imagine the pain,” he said.

“You put yourself in his place as a dad, or her place as a mom, for
either family … it’s just too painful to even think about,” he said.

“You just can’t allow yourself to think about it for more than a few seconds.”

For Hoyt, police can’t catch the perpetrator quickly enough.

He said he hopes to have the $100,000 raised within a few weeks.

“If we can get more than ($100,000), that would be great,” he said.

“Anything we can do to get this (person).”

“You just pray every day that you just would not forget the pain
that they’re going through, because they really need everybody to kind
of rally around them and help them in any way they can,” he said.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office released last week the
formation of a nine-agency task force, comprised of local, state and
federal law enforcement, basing their operations out of Montgomery
County.

The sheriff’s office is still seeking information from those who may
have been in the Caldwell Fields area between 8 a.m. Wednesday, Aug.
26, and 8 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 27.

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s office at (540) 382-7313.

In the days following the slaying
of Heidi Childs two months ago, her father says the family sought
comfort in calling her cell phone to hear her voicemail greeting.

Canceling her cell phone and losing the chance to hear her voice was
one of several difficult emotional experiences her father recalled in a
statement released Monday by Virginia State Police. In that statement,
Don Childs pleaded for any information that could help investigators
learn who killed his daughter and her boyfriend, David Metzler.

Heidi Childs, of Forest, was a Virginia Tech freshman and Metzler,
of Campbell County, was a sophomore. They were killed at Caldwell Field
on Craig Creek Road in Montgomery County on Aug. 26. A hiker discovered
their bodies the next morning.

Metzler was found shot inside a blue Toyota and Heidi Childs was found shot outside the vehicle.

Investigators have referred to the apparent homicide as a “random
act” but have not spoken publicly about leads in the case. Last week
Montgomery County Sheriff Tommy Whitt said he was “cautiously
optimistic” about the status of the investigation.

The Virginia State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation
have joined local law enforcement in the investigation. Rewards
totaling $68,000 are being been offered for information related to the
slayings.

Don Childs, an aviation sergeant with the Virginia State Police,
added to the monetary reward a plea from parents who “have had to do
things that no parent should ever have to do.”

“The past two months have been very difficult for my family, as well
as the Metzler family. My wife and I have had to take painstaking steps
to attain some form of resolution to Heidi’s life,” Childs said in a
news release. “… We have had to clean out her apartment, a very
emotional undertaking; close her Virginia Tech accounts; as well as
cancel her cell phone service, a very emotional event, losing forever
the sound of her voice on the recording, which we have called just for
some form of comfort.”

“In going through her computer and viewing photos she had taken of
David and her friends at Virginia Tech and elsewhere, we are reminded
of how special she was not only to us, but also to her church and her
friends,” he said.

Childs asked for those who live in the area of the slayings to
search their memories for anything they might recall about the night of
Oct. 26. “Any small amount of information may be the key to locating
who committed this act, which has forever changed our lives.”

He also expressed gratitude for the people who have provided support
for the Childs and Metzler families. “The outpouring of love and
concern has been overwhelming and we are grateful,” he said. “I also
wish to thank those of you who have participated in raising monies to
contribute to the reward offered in the case, as well as the memorial
fund.”

Anyone with information related to the investigation is asked to
contact the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office at (540) 382-6900 or the
Virginia State Police at (800) 542-5959.

This marks one year since Heidi Childs and David Metzler were found shot to death in Montgomery Co.
No one has been arrested yet.
August 26, 2010|By Holly Pietrzak | New River Valley Newsroom Chief



MONTGOMERY CO., Va. — A year to the day and still no justice for two Virginia Tech students who were shot off campus in Montgomery County.

Heidi Childs and David Metzler drove out to the Caldwell Fields area of the Jefferson National Forest before the start of classes at Tech.

They went there to talk and play guitar.

The next morning their bodies were discovered by a man walking his dog.

A task force has followed up on about 1,100 tips from the public, but the parents of the slain couple have said nothing can really ease the deep sadness and loss that remains.

"Through the grace of God, family and friends is the only way we've been able to get through this," said Don Childs, Father of Heidi Childs.

Memories and pictures are all that is left for the parents of Heidi Childs and David Metzler.

The couple was very much in love and they were getting ready to start their sophomore years at Virginia Tech last August.

http://articles.wdbj7.com/2010-08-26/metzler-and-childs-families_24090677

Childs-Metzler Task Force still looking for leads
By ERIN BARNETT
Published: March 24, 2011
Updated: March 24, 2011 - 3:40 PM



MONTGOMERY COUNTY, VA --
Nathan Houff and Austin Ansel, both Virginia Tech students, spend a lot of time at Caldwell Fields.

It’s a place they come to get a break from school, but nearly two years ago this quiet area of the Jefferson National Forest was the scene of a double murder.

"Every time you come down here, you definitely think about what happened," said Ansel.

The deaths of Virginia Tech students Heidi Childs and David Metzler remain a mystery.

Even after 1,400 tips, Montgomery County Sheriff Tommy Whitt says investigators are still looking for that one piece of information.

"We really want to bring closure for the families. That is very important to me. I know the families. They deserve closure as does the community," said Whitt.

Despite having no solid lead so far, Sheriff Whitt says investigators will not give up until justice is served.

“This is not a cold case. It will not be a cold case.”

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2011/mar/24/21/childs-metzler-task-force-still-looking-leads-ar-925825/

David Metzler, Heidi Childs murder has new leads

March 29, 2012
For nearly three years now, authorities haven't been able to catch
whoever killed Virginia Tech students David Metzler and Heidi Childs.
Thursday afternoon, they released new information they
hope will lead to justice. Authorities said they now have DNA evidence
in the case.

Metzler and Childs had been a couple for about four years. On the
night of Aug. 26, 2009, they had arrived at the Jefferson National
Forest after leaving Childs' apartment in Blacksburg.

They reportedly didn't plan to stay long, just talk and play guitars. But in a parking lot someone murdered them.

"The murder weapon has been determined to be a 30/30 rifle," says Sheriff Tommy Whitt of Montgomery County, Va.

Thursday, Whitt said it happened on a Wednesday night when a lot of folks in the area were going to prayer meeting at church.

"It's highly likely that someone observed the suspect on Craigs Creek Road that night," he says.
Other new information released Thursday: The sheriff believes the
killer stole 18-year-old Childs’ purse, along with a camera, credit
card, phone, and Virginia Tech ID card.

The sheriff said he had a personal message for whoever would kill such an innocent young couple.

"We have DNA, we are aggressively and actively pursuing you,” he says. “We will not rest until you are apprehended."


http://www.wjla.com/articles/2012/03/david-metzler-heidi-childs-murder-has-new-leads-74363.html

Reward increased for leads in unsolved murder of two VA Tech students
Posted: Aug 28, 2013 6:28 AM CDT
Updated: Sep 07, 2013 6:28 AM CDT

BLACKSBURG, VA (WWBT) -
The reward for leads in the unsolved murders of two Virginia Tech student is about to go up.

This week marks four years that Montgomery County deputies discovered the bodies of Heidi Childs and David Metzler. The students were shot with a 30-caliber rifle, in the Jeffferson National Forest.

Investigators also discovered DNA evidence from the murder scene, but they never found a suspect.

The reward is now up to $80,000.

http://www.nbc12.com/story/23275420/reward-increased-for-leads-in-unsolved-murder-of-va-tech-students