$50,000 reward offered for information in slayings of two Virginia Tech students

The following press release was issued today by the Virginia State Police:

RICHMOND - The multi-jurisdictional task force created to investigate the murders of David Metzler and Heidi Childs are offering a reward exceeding $50,000 dollars.

Donations from the community continue to accumulate and the money in conjunction with $10,000 dollars offered by Virginia Tech has helped the reward reach its current level.

Task force investigators hope the reward will encourage anyone with valuable information regarding this investigation to come forward and provide assistance to solve the case.

Monetary donations provided by the community have been sent to the state police and the account has been managed by the Christiansburg Police Department, Citizens Support Group, Inc. Anyone who provides information which will ultimately lead to an arrest and conviction in this case will be eligible to receive a share or all of the reward amount. Any information provided will be confidential and shared with law enforcement only.

On August 27, 2009, the bodies of 18 year-old Heidi Childs of Forest, Va., and 19 year-old David Metzler of Lynchburg, Va., were discovered at Caldwell Fields in the Jefferson National Forest in Montgomery County, Va. Both victims were shot. The task force continues to receive tips from the public and follows-up on any leads the tips provide. The investigation remains on-going.

Anyone who believes they could have information that can assist investigators with this case are asked to call the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office at (540) 382-6900 or the public can call the Virginia State Police toll free number at 1-800-542-5959.

The task force was created several weeks ago to aid with the murder investigation. The multi-jurisdictional task force is comprised of members from the following agencies: the Blacksburg Police Department, the Christiansburg Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Forestry Service, the Virginia Tech Police Department and the Virginia State Police.