On a late summer evening, 19-year-old David Lee Metzler, a White male, and his friend Heidi Childs, drove to a secluded recreational area in the Jefferson National Forest. Both were sophomores at Virginia Tech, just beginning their new school year. They parked in the Caldwell Fields lot, a place popular with students, located in Montgomery County. Metzler had brought his guitar, planning a quiet date for the two of them.
Sometime between 8:25 p.m. and 10 p.m.
on August 26, 2009, the peaceful evening was shattered by violence. The next morning, a man walking his dog discovered a tragic scene. Metzler was found shot and killed inside his 1992 Toyota Camry. Childs was found deceased outside the vehicle. Investigators believe Metzler was shot through the driver's side window, while Childs was shot as she attempted to escape. While Metzler's guitar remained in the car, several of Childs' personal items were missing, including her purse, credit cards, phone, and camera, suggesting robbery as a possible motive.
The double murder launched a massive and enduring investigation involving local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI. Despite following up on over 1,300 leads and identifying several persons of interest over the years, authorities have never made an arrest or publicly named a definitive suspect in the case. The investigation has remained active, with police periodically renewing calls for public assistance and establishing a task force to re-examine evidence. Scientific and technological advancements in DNA testing have offered continued hope for a breakthrough, as investigators have confirmed they have DNA evidence from the scene. A reward of up to $100,000 has been offered for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the deaths of David Metzler and Heidi Childs, a case that remains an unsolved tragedy.
