BLACKSBURG, Va. – Updated Story:
After 15 long years - closure is a foreign concept for the Childs and Metzler families.
“She never got to finish college or fulfill her dreams of becoming a physician’s assistant,” Heidi Childs’ mom Laura said.
“We will never know what it’s like to see our son take a bride. And we will never gain a daughter-in-law,” David Metzler’s mom Susan said.
That was during a press conference in 2019 - on the 10th anniversary of Heidi Childs and David Metzler’s murders.
But five years later - they’re still in the same position - no arrests, and no answers.
“If something’s going to happen - often times, it’s going to be the public that helps solve the case,” Criminologist and former law enforcement officer Dr. Tod Burke said.
Burke tells us that even if something seems like a cold case, there may still be movement that the general public doesn’t see.
“It doesn’t mean it’s forgotten,” Burke said.
“What are some of the challenges law enforcement faces year after year as a case gets further and further removed from the time it happened?” 10 News Reporter Abbie Coleman asked.
“You’re dealing with witnesses. And the longer it goes on, the more difficult it is for witness memories. And also to locate witnesses, they may go. And the same thing with suspects,” Burke said.
But Burke tells us a small memory years after a crime, could be crucial.
“Something that they didn’t think was important before, say ' you know what? I never did mention that to someone. I did see a person, I did see a car, I did see something.’ report it. Because now that might be the key evidence,” he said.
“You may not think it’s relevant 15 years later, but I mean the littlest detail could be that missing puzzle piece,” Coleman said.
He says keeping the case fresh in people’s eyes is as important today as it was on day one.
“Some cases go unsolved. There’s no doubt about that. But it’s often good to keep it in the minds of the public. And the more you do that, the more information that can come forward,” he said.
This case isn’t over with.
“The police are not giving up, but we don’t want the public to give up,” Burke said.
The Metlzer family’s words ring true even now:
“Please just call the task force and talk. They have incredible ways to protect you,” David’s dad Keith said at that same press conference.
Original Story:
Monday marks 15 years since two Virginia Tech students were found shot to death, and law enforcement still has yet to make an arrest.
Heidi Childs and David Metzler were murdered in the Caldwell Fields parking lot of the Jefferson National Forest in Montgomery County just two weeks into their sophomore year at Virginia Tech.
The couple met before college in their church youth group, and came from tight-knit families in Campbell and Bedford Counties Virginia State Police previously told 10 News they have “an extensive inventory of evidence collected from the scene and from vehicles seized during the course of the investigation,” and have “specific individuals we are interested in and pursuing related to this case.”
There is a $100,000 reward for any tips that lead to an arrest. If you have any information you would like to share you can call VSP at 540-375-9589.
We will have more on this story on 10 News at 6. Stay with 10 News as this story continues to develop.