BLACKSBURG
The bodies of two young adults, a man and a woman, were found this morning in the Jefferson National Forest in Montgomery County, the sheriff's office said.
Sheriff Tommy Whitt said it is being considered a double homicide. Whitt said both victims appear to have been shot but he wouldn't say how many times or where on their bodies. "It's brutal. It's ugly," he said.
The mans body was found inside a car and the womans body outside the car, Whitt said. He said the bodies would be taken to the medical examiner's office in Roanoke for autopsies.
The bodies were found in the day use area of Caldwell Fields, a campground on Craig Creek Road, by a bicyclist or a hiker about 8 a.m., Whitt said. He said he believes the killings took place between last night and this morning.
A suspect has not been identified and no weapons were found at the scene, Whitt said. Investigators have been on scene all day attempting to gather evidence.
Whitt said deputies have checked the car's registration and were checking to see if it may have been registered at Virginia Tech. Caldwell Fields, which is only a mile or two from the Craig County line, is a popular hangout spot for Tech students, an official with the U.S. Forest Service said.
Deputies' cellphones don't have a signal in the area, and Whitt said Sprint offered to bring them cellphones that would have service.
