In 2009, 18-year-old Heidi Childs and 19-year-old David Metzler became the latest victims of a seemingly random and callous crime, shot down in cold blood in the Caldwell Fields parking lot of the Jefferson National Forest in Montgomery County, approximately nine miles northeast of Blacksburg. Both Heidi and David were sophomores at nearby Virginia Tech, devout Christians, and employed at Mountain Frost Creamery in Lynchburg. On Wednesday evening, August 26, 2009, they took a trip to Caldwell Fields Campground. Sometime between the hours of 8:25 and 10pm, an unknown assailant fired a .30 caliber rifle through the driver’s side window, striking and killing David. Heidi was shot down as she tried to flee. Some of David’s personal items were taken, including credit cards, but it seems unlikely that robbery was the primary motive. There were no witnesses in that isolated spot, and the case has gone cold, despite some DNA and fingerprint evidence. If you have any information about this case, please contact the Virginia State Police at (804) 674-2000.

Sources:

• Police ask for help with Childs-Metzler cold case on 13-year anniversary
• The Couple (Park Predators)
• 11 years pass since killings of Virginia Tech students; still no arrest made
• Heidi Childs & David Metzler Memorial Group