Register entry · Case file · Homicide · Blacksburg VA
Heidi Childs and David Metzler.
MUS-2026-0653
Archive card
MUS-2026-0653
Homicide
- Incident
- 2009
- Indexed
- Nov 4, 2026, by MuseUnsolved
- Agency
- Virginia State Police
- Location
- Blacksburg VA
Public record. Index entry.
Index entry. Case details compiled from public reporting; our researchers have not verified this file yet.
Summary
What happened, as the record shows.
Heidi Lynn Childs, 18, and David Lee Metzler, 19, both Virginia Tech sophomores, were shot to death while sitting in a Toyota Camry in the Caldwell Fields parking lot in Jefferson National Forest on the evening of August 26, 2009. A dog walker found their bodies the next morning. The weapon was reported as a .30-30 caliber rifle, and Childs's purse, containing a phone and Virginia Tech ID, was taken and never recovered. Investigators treat the case as a cold case, relaunched a task force in 2019, and raised the reward to $100,000. No one has ever been charged.
Timeline
What the record establishes.
- Aug 26, 2009
Childs and Metzler are shot to death at Caldwell Fields in the evening.
- Aug 27, 2009
Their bodies are discovered in the morning by a man walking his dog.
- Aug 2019
A task force relaunches under Virginia State Police and the reward is increased to $100,000.
Key people
The people in the file.
18, of Forest, Virginia. Virginia Tech sophomore in biochemistry.
19, of Lynchburg, Virginia. Virginia Tech sophomore in industrial and systems engineering.
Contact details change over time; confirm the current assignee before publishing.
Investigating agency
Where tips go.
This case is with the Virginia State Police. If you know something, say something to them. For public-record leads for our researchers, use the tip line on any open file.
Continue