VA VA - David Metzler, 19, & Heidi Childs, 18, fatally shot, Montgomery Co, 26 Aug 2009

[JnRyan]

I was just thinking about this case today. Heidi and David might have been married for some time now and have children of their own were it not for this coward's act. And were are apparently in the same spot where we were 5 or 10 years ago.

 

[JnRyan]

I just did a Google Search from the last time I did (Nov 2023) to present. Nothing from media or LE. There are some posts in the Heidi Childs & David Metzler Memorial Group facebook page around Heidi's birthday in Dec, but other than that not much considering the brutality of the crime.

So I'll just call this post a bump.

 

[geojeffrey]

I just did a Google Search from the last time I did (Nov 2023) to present. Nothing from media or LE. There are some posts in the Heidi Childs & David Metzler Memorial Group facebook page around Heidi's birthday in Dec, but other than that not much considering the brutality of the crime.

So I'll just call this post a bump.

The quiet and lack of activity in this case is so frustrating!!!!

Early on, it was reported that DNA from a potential perp was found at the scene...but apparently this lead went no-where since genetic genealogy should have been able to track the perp down if the lead was solid. UGH!!!

 

[dotr]

By Vassia BarbaUS News Reporter APR 6 2024

Killer on the loose 15 years after teen lovebirds found shot dead in forest

On August 26, 2009, Heidi Childs and David Metzler were found murdered in Jefferson National Forest, Virginia, with the killer still unidentified despite ongoing investigations

www.themirror.com

''Heidi, a sophomore at Virginia Tech, had just made the exciting decision to enroll in the university's pre-med program and shared the news with her parents earlier in the day. David, a student in the prestigious College of Engineering at Virginia Tech, planned to take Heidi to a field in Jefferson National Forest for an evening of conversation and music.''

''Despite efforts to gather evidence, including DNA evidence believed to be from the perpetrator and identification of the murder weapon as a .30-.30 rifle, the case remains unsolved for nearly 15 years.''

 

[Justice101]

We drove back from Ohio to Virginia on 460 from a wedding this weekend.

And I think I saw the turn off for the Caldwell Fields area near camp Tuckaway which was what the turn sign off 460 was for

Made me think again about this sad case.

 

[dotr]

$100K Reward in Cold Case of Murdered Teens

Virginia State Police seek new leads in 2009 shooting deaths of Heidi Childs and David Metzler

www.newser.com

By Arden Dier, Newser Staff Posted Sep 5, 2024

 

[PrairieWind]

It is so sad that this case isn't solved yet. I think eventually it will be. It is just such a sad and senseless crime. These two couldn't have possibly had any enemies. So likely just a random crime, thrill kill or something like that.

 

[JnRyan]

Sometimes I wonder about these “unsolved” missing or murder cases. Was a valid tip called in but wasn’t given proper attention by LE?

The most glaring example I usually cite is the missing person case of Tara Grinstead in 2005. The case is covered primarily by the GBI (GA Bureau of Investigation) but local and FBI were also involved. I do find it notable that local LE realized they needed help beyond the capability of their dept early on and called on the GBI. In 2017, LE receives a tip from the former girl friend of one of the two perps and two arrests are made and the GBI says they ‘weren’t on our radar’. And a podcast, “Up And Vanished” was touted by the media as being a major factor in solving the case. (In fact, in Episode 19 of the podcast the podcaster interviews the girl friend and I thought it was poorly handled by the podcaster. That episode and the others are no longer available on audio where you can hear the speakers’ tone of voice that I can find.) Well, it turns out multiple LE involved received their FIRST valid tip in 2007 from a John McCullough about info on the murderer’s accomplice. NONE of the agencies called him back. When asked if he followed up McCullough claimed to have called every year for TEN YEARS – 2007-2016 – to the GBI alone and got no action on their part. LE ALREADY had their badly needed tip 10 years before the arrests. At the trial when asked why GBI kept missing the tip from McCullough agent Gary Rothwell of the GBI, who was the lead agent assigned to the case, stated “We thought that that lead had been addressed by local law enforcement as unfounded and did not follow up.” and later “It is something we should've followed up, but we —we didn't.” Yes, the two suspects WERE on LE’s radar very early on except the “radar” malfunctioned.

The CBS program on the case: Tara Grinstead murder: Did authorities miss leads that could have potentially solved the case over a decade ago?

So, if a VERY high profile case that was covered by national media was bungled by LE multiple times over a 10 year period could THE tip to solving Heidi Childs and David Metzler’s murder already exist in database of LE tips here? And LE has missed the significance of said tip?

 

[Starlight0229]

Sometimes I wonder about these “unsolved” missing or murder cases. Was a valid tip called in but wasn’t given proper attention by LE?

The most glaring example I usually cite is the missing person case of Tara Grinstead in 2005. The case is covered primarily by the GBI (GA Bureau of Investigation) but local and FBI were also involved. I do find it notable that local LE realized they needed help beyond the capability of their dept early on and called on the GBI. In 2017, LE receives a tip from the former girl friend of one of the two perps and two arrests are made and the GBI says they ‘weren’t on our radar’. And a podcast, “Up And Vanished” was touted by the media as being a major factor in solving the case. (In fact, in Episode 19 of the podcast the podcaster interviews the girl friend and I thought it was poorly handled by the podcaster. That episode and the others are no longer available on audio where you can hear the speakers’ tone of voice that I can find.) Well, it turns out multiple LE involved received their FIRST valid tip in 2007 from a John McCullough about info on the murderer’s accomplice. NONE of the agencies called him back. When asked if he followed up McCullough claimed to have called every year for TEN YEARS – 2007-2016 – to the GBI alone and got no action on their part. LE ALREADY had their badly needed tip 10 years before the arrests. At the trial when asked why GBI kept missing the tip from McCullough agent Gary Rothwell of the GBI, who was the lead agent assigned to the case, stated “We thought that that lead had been addressed by local law enforcement as unfounded and did not follow up.” and later “It is something we should've followed up, but we —we didn't.” Yes, the two suspects WERE on LE’s radar very early on except the “radar” malfunctioned.

The CBS program on the case: Tara Grinstead murder: Did authorities miss leads that could have potentially solved the case over a decade ago?

So, if a VERY high profile case that was covered by national media was bungled by LE multiple times over a 10 year period could THE tip to solving Heidi Childs and David Metzler’s murder already exist in database of LE tips here? And LE has missed the significance of said tip?

I wouldn't be surprised if something similar has happened with this case. I've seen lots of comments (I'm not sure if it was in this thread or other discussions about this case) along the lines of "the locals know who did it". I just hope this one is solved soon and it isn't another one where the killer has died before it was solved.