State police announce renewed investigation into decade-old Childs and Metzler killings

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Hat tip, the RTD, which is also running the story.

State police announce renewed investigation into decade-old Childs and Metzler killings
By Mike Gangloff [e-mail] 381-1669 Aug 21, 2019



David Metzler and Heidi Childs

Investigators trying to solve the decade-old slaying of two Virginia Tech students made their first announcement about the case in seven years Wednesday – to say that with no new developments, a fresh team of officers led by Virginia State Police special agents will sift through the evidence starting from the beginning.

A news conference is scheduled for Friday at the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office to announce the re-launch of a task force that was formed years ago to dig into the killing of Heidi Lynn Childs and David Lee Metzler, sweethearts and Tech sophomores from the Lynchburg area, a state police news release said. The news conference comes just before the 10-year anniversary of Metzler and Childs' deaths.

Ten agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Marshal’s Service, and U.S. Attorney’s Office, will take part in the investigation, state police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said. The U.S. Forest Service, and Tech and Blacksburg police departments also will be involved in the investigation, Geller said.
....

Metzler, 19, was from Lynchburg and the son of a doctor. Childs, 18, was from Forest. Her father, Don Childs, was a veteran state police helicopter pilot who has retired since her death.
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On Aug. 26, 2009, having recently returned to Blacksburg for classes, Metzler and Childs went together to Caldwell Fields, a recreation area in the Jefferson National Forest that is popular with Tech students, located about 16 miles from campus. They took their guitars. Metzler had asked Childs to go on a special date with him; Childs had written some songs and wanted to share them with Metzler, relatives said later. They didn't plan to be out late because Childs had homework to do, relatives said. ... The next morning, the teens' bodies were found in the recreation area's parking lot on Craig Creek Road, which runs from U.S. 460 through Montgomery County into Craig County. ... Metzler was in his 1992 Toyota Camry. Childs lay outside it. Both had been shot with a .30-30 rifle, investigators said in 2012, during the last news conference about the case.
....

To read more about the case, see tomorrow's Roanoke Times or go to roanoke.com in the morning.

Mike Gangloff covers crime, breaking news and courts in the New River Valley.

[virgogal]

1. Wow,I wish them well. Amazing what they can do with these cold cases.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

2. Virginia police asking for public's help in decade-old double murder

I ran across the story again. I didn't know that this post would bump it back to the top.

Virginia police asking for public's help in decade-old double murder

David Metzler and Heidi Childs were found dead in Montgomery County in Virginia on August 27, 2009. Their bodies were found at Caldwell Fields in Jefferson National Forest. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office is still conducting the investigation ten years later.

Aug. 23, 2019, 6:04 PM EDT
By Alexandra Lo Re

{snip}

If you have any information regarding the deaths of Heidi Childs and David Metzler the evening of August 26, 2009, please contact the Montgomery County Sheriff’s office at [phone].