In the early morning hours of a Tuesday in April 2017, the life of Christiansburg's town manager, Steve Biggs, came to a tragic end. The 53-year-old man died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head following a four-hour standoff with police at his apartment on Montague Street. The events that culminated in his death began to unfold just after midnight when police responded to a call about a suicidal person.
For several hours, officers attempted to make contact with Biggs before a single gunshot was heard from inside his apartment at 3:54 a.m. Upon entering, they found him with a critical head wound. He was rushed to a local hospital and then airlifted to a trauma center, but his injuries proved fatal, and he passed away on Wednesday morning.
The tragic incident occurred in the shadow of recent turmoil in Biggs's personal life. A month prior, a 23-year-old neighbor, Rachel Waltz, had sought and was temporarily granted an emergency protective order against him, citing claims of harassment. This legal action followed Biggs stopping payment on a $1,000 check he had given her for attorney's fees related to a DWI charge. Although a judge later ruled there was not enough evidence of a 'credible threat' to extend the protective order, the situation had drawn public attention. Virginia State Police investigated the harassment allegations, but the local Commonwealth's Attorney declined to file any charges against Biggs.
In conversations with the media before his death, Biggs acknowledged a 'friendly relationship' with Waltz had ended after he made comments she found offensive, stating, 'I offended…I never threatened.' He pointed to the judge's decision and the outcome of the police investigation as support for his position. Waltz, who had since moved out of the apartment building, described the situation as 'absolutely horrible.' Biggs had only been the town manager in Christiansburg for about nine months, having previously served for 19 years as the town manager of Clayton, North Carolina. Leaders in Christiansburg expressed their heartbreak over his passing, remembering the progressive and proactive legacy he was building in the community.
