On the night of September 29, 2016, Jerry Vadal Colyer, a 43-year-old male, was working the front desk of the Econo Lodge on Indian Hill Road in Chesterfield, Virginia. An unknown Black male entered the lobby, brandishing a revolver and demanding money. Colyer, a husband and father to a young daughter, complied with all of the assailant's demands. Despite his cooperation, the suspect shot him at point-blank range before fleeing the motel on foot. Emergency services responded to a call about the shooting at approximately 10:57 PM and found Colyer deceased from a gunshot wound.
The investigation, led by the Chesterfield County Police Department with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, has yet to result in an arrest, and the case remains an active and unsolved homicide. Surveillance footage captured the suspect, described as a Black male with a thin build. At the time of the murder, he was wearing a maroon long-sleeved hooded sweatshirt, a red-brimmed ball cap, jeans, and dark-colored shoes. A distinctive detail noted by investigators was what appeared to be a white bandage on the suspect's right hand. Authorities believe the suspect may have been involved in other robberies in the area around the time of the murder.
In the years following the tragic event, Jerry Colyer's family has continued to publicly plead for information that could lead to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for his death. The emotional toll on the family has been immense, compounded by the death of Colyer's mother just three months after his murder. A substantial reward of up to $30,000 has been offered by the FBI for information that brings justice to the family of Jerry Vadal Colyer. Law enforcement continues to seek tips from the public as they work to solve this cold case.
