SAM DEAN The Roanoke Times

Flowers left at Caldwell Fields memorialize slain Virginia Tech students David Metzler and Heidi Childs.

Many questions remain unanswered more than a week after the slayings of two young Virginia Tech students, as investigators continue to chase leads in attempts to develop a suspect.

The bodies of David Metzler, 19, of Lynchburg and Heidi Childs, 18, of Forest were found about 8 a.m. the morning of Aug. 27 by a man walking his dog on Craig Creek Road in Montgomery County, more than eight miles from its intersection with U.S. 460.

Metzler's car was parked at a day-use area of Caldwell Fields, a popular hiking and camping spot in the Jefferson National Forest. His body was inside it. Childs' was outside. Both had been shot, the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office said.

Little else about the crime scene has been disclosed.

Investigators won't say how many times Metzler and Childs were shot, where on their bodies, or what type of gun was used.

They won't say what evidence was recovered at the scene; whether the pair suffered any injuries other than gunshots; and whether anything, such as their wallets or keys, was missing.

"We're not going to release anything that could have a chance of upsetting the investigation," Lt. Brian Wright said Friday.

What investigators have said is that the crime appeared to be brutal, violent and random -- words that have alarmed many people in the community.

Asked if the medical examiner's office ruled that the official causes of death for Metzler and Childs were homicide, Wright said, "That was never a question. The initial investigation showed that without a doubt."

A motive for the killings has been elusive, Wright said, and investigators don't have a suspect or suspect vehicle.

"I can assure you that we're following up on every possible connection," Wright said.

Local, state and federal law enforcement agencies are assisting with the investigation.

Rumors about what may have happened and who could have done such a thing are topics of conversation across the New River Valley and beyond.

Investigators are still asking for anyone who was in the area of Caldwell Fields or the national forest shooting range on Craig Creek Road in the 24 hours before Metzler and Childs were found to call them. Virginia Tech has offered a $10,000 reward for information that helps solve the case.

Metzler and Childs were last heard from about 8:30 or 9 p.m. the night before they were found, Wright said. Craig Creek Road resident Jeff Caldwell said a neighbor saw what he believes was Metzler's car parked at Caldwell Fields when he got home from church that night.

It is unclear what time the young couple were killed.

Neighbors have said that, until they heard about the killings, they felt so safe that they kept their doors unlocked.

Now, doors are locked, and some residents who used to walk alone in the woods have stopped.

"We're still wondering who the person is" who committed the crimes, Caldwell said. "Normally we don't have nothing to worry about down here."

Caldwell Fields has two large fields that can be reserved for group camping. The area is popular among hikers, bicyclists and fishermen. It is visited by school-age children on field trips and people looking for fossils.

Wright said visitors aren't being told to stay away from the area, but are being told to use caution.

"We're obviously urging everyone to use caution and be careful everywhere they go," he said.

Along with the sheriff's office, the U.S. Forest Service has increased patrols in and around Caldwell Fields and the Pandapas Pond day-use area, which is on the other side of U.S. 460.

Forest service officials are encouraging people to travel in groups and inform others of their whereabouts.

Laura Belleville, director of conservation for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy in Blacksburg, said the trail crosses Craig Creek Road about five miles north of Caldwell Fields.

Appalachian Trail volunteers were told they could reschedule any work they had planned, partly, Belleville said, so that they won't potentially be in the way of law enforcement officers who are still keeping watch over the area.

"We're all on heightened awareness," Belleville said. "We're all being very vigilant about safety right now."