Son of dead husband and wife cheesemakers charged with their murder, held on $1 million cash bond

Rebecca Loroff, Oshkosh Northwestern
·2 min read
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Erik Metzig, a 25-year-old former resident of the town of Wolf River, has been charged with killing his parents, David and Jan Metzig, last Saturday morning.

He faces two counts of first-degree intentional homicide, a Class A felony that carries a sentence of life imprisonment, according to the criminal complaint from Winnebago County.

First responders were dispatched at 5:16 a.m. Saturday for a welfare check when a 911 call came from the home and was cut short, according to the complaint.

Deputies first checked David and Jan's business, then spoke with an unidentified witness who was another member of the family, the complaint said. The witness escorted deputies to David and Jan's home, where they found the couple in their bedroom, covered in blankets and dead from apparent gunshot wounds.

The witness said that Erik lived with David and Jan and should be home, but Erik and his car were gone.

Upon searching the Metzigs' home, officers found a loaded AR platform rifle on the kitchen table and a 9mm handgun in the garbage, the complaint said. A journal found in Erik's bedroom stated he wanted to make it look as though his parents went missing while out for a walk.

Police from the Fox Valley Metro Police Department later found Erik and his car at the Heart of the Valley YMCA in Kimberly. He refused to speak about the incident, but was wearing yellow-toned shooting glasses. He was arrested at around 8 a.m. Saturday.

His initial appearance in court was Tuesday, according to public records. He was ordered to provide a DNA sample, surrender his passport and maintain absolute sobriety. He is being held at the Winnebago County Jail on a $1 million cash bond. His next hearing is scheduled for Monday.

David and Jan Metzig owned and operated Union Star Cheese Factory in the unincorporated community of Zittau in the town of Wolf River. The couple purchased the business in 1980, and it had been in the Metzig family since 1911, according to the company's website.

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Rebecca Loroff is a breaking and trending news reporter for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. Contact her at rloroff@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: Son charged in killing Wolf River couple that owned Union Star Cheese