Metzig accused of killing parents
The man accused of killing his parents, who were owners of Union Star Cheese Factory near Fremont, now faces two counts of first-degree intentional homicide.
Erik T. Metzig, 25, Fremont, will appear in Winnebago County Circuit Court for further proceedings on April 10.
He is currently in custody on a $1 million cash bond.
Shortly after 5:15 a.m. Saturday, March 18, the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 hang-up call.
Deputies responded to the Union Star business in the town of Wolf River to check on the welfare of David Metzig, 72, and Jan Metzig, 71.
According to the Winnebago County criminal complaint, they did not find the Metzigs, but they spoke to one of their sons who said they should be home. He escorted the deputies to the Metzigs’ home.
While walking through the home, the son found the Metzigs “in their bedroom, covered in blankets, with bags over their heads, and deceased from apparent gunshot wounds,” the complaint says.
Multiple unfired 9mm bullets were located near the bodies.
The son told deputies that his brother Erik Metzig lived with his parents, but his car was gone.
Deputies found an AR-platform rifle with a loaded magazine on the kitchen table.
In the third parking stall of the garage, where his brother told deputies Metzig normally parked his vehicle, investigators found blood, as well as bloody glasses and David Metzig’s checkbook and wallet in a pile of clothes. Nearby, they found a 9mm handgun in a garbage bag.
Metzig arrested
While Winnebago County deputies were investigating the case, Fox Valley Metro police located Eric Metzig’s vehicle at the Heart of the Valley YMCA in Kimberly.
YMCA staff had called to report a suspicious person wandering around their parking lot, who then came inside and went into the shower area.
When approached by staff, Metzig said he was upset about family and he was looking for an apartment but apartments were expensive, according to the complaint.
Investigators found apparent blood smears inside Metzig’s vehicle. They reported he was wearing yellow-toned shooting glasses at the time of his arrest.
“Additionally, a journal was found in Erik Metzig’s bedroom detailing that he wanted to eliminate his parents and make it look like they went missing while out for a walk,” the complaint says.
If convicted of first-degree intentional homicide, Metzig faces life in prison.