Heidi Lynn Childs was 18 and a Virginia Tech sophomore when she and 19-year-old David Metzler were shot to death on the evening of August 26, 2009, at Caldwell Fields in the Jefferson National Forest. The couple had driven to a gravel parking lot popular with students; Metzler was shot in the driver’s seat of his 1992 Toyota Camry and Childs was killed as she tried to flee. Their bodies were found the next morning by a person walking a dog.

Childs’ purse — containing her cell phone, camera, credit cards, and Virginia Tech ID on a lanyard — was missing and has never been recovered; Metzler’s wallet remained at the scene. Investigators say the weapon was a .30-30 rifle and that DNA from the killer was recovered. Multiple agencies including the Virginia State Police and the FBI have investigated, several persons of interest and suspects were named in Montgomery, Craig, and Roanoke counties, vehicles of interest were publicly identified, and a $100,000 reward has been offered.

The case remains unsolved and investigators continue to work leads using forensic advances. If anyone has information about Caldwell Fields on August 26, 2009, or about the missing items, please come forward.