Son Charged After Wisconsin Cheese Factory Owners Found Dead In Home

WOLF RIVER, WI — A 26-year-old man has been charged with murder after his parents were found shot dead in their Winnebago County home over the weekend.

Erik Metzig faces two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of 72-year-old David A. Metzig and 71-year-old Jan C. Metzig. If convicted, Erik would receive an automatic sentence of life in prison.

Together, David and Jan owned the Union Star Cheese Factory in Fremont. Erik lived with his parents at their home in the town of Wolf River, authorities said.

"Our thoughts and prayers remain with the extended family and the many friends of the deceased couple," read a statement from the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office.

On Saturday, county deputies responded to a welfare check request for the couple. Erik's brother escorted the deputies into his parents' home, where they found the couple in their bedroom, covered in blankets with bags over their heads, dead from gunshot wounds, according to the criminal complaint.

Multiple unfired 9 mm bullets were found near their bodies, along with "a significant amount of blood," investigators said. Erik's car was gone, according to authorities.

Police found an AR platform rifle on the kitchen table with a loaded magazine, the criminal complaint states. The brother said Erik had recently shown interest in weapons, and added that he believed Erik killed his parents, according to police.

Detectives later found a Glock 9 mm handgun in a garbage bag in the garage, police said. Authorities also discovered a journal in Erik's bedroom "detailing that he wanted to eliminate his parents and make it look like they went missing while out for a walk," the criminal complaint states.

During the investigation, the Fox Valley Metro Police responded to a YMCA in the town of Kimberly after staff reported a suspicious man, according to authorities. A man — later identified as Erik Metzig — was wandering around the parking lot, came inside and went into the shower area, police said.

A YMCA staff member found Erik laying on a bench in the locker room with a towel behind his head and wearing yellow-toned shooting glasses, according to the criminal complaint. Erik told the staff member he was upset about his family and that he was looking for an apartment, but they were expensive, police said.