Man charged in Lewis County cold case

WESTON, W.Va. — A Lewis County man is now charged with killing his mother and grandmother almost 14 years ago.

Joey Metz, 39, was arraigned on two counts of murder, two counts of kidnapping and two counts of burglary in Lewis County Magistrate Court early Thursday morning.

Maxine Stalnaker, 69, and Mary Friend, 45, were last seen on December 1, 1999.  Their car was found a few days later abandoned on Route 19 in Harrison County.

Since then, there have been no signs of Stalnaker or Friend except for a time in 2002 when a fisherman found one of their purses at Stonewall Jackson Lake.

Reports Thursday morning indicated Metz was Friend’s son and Stalnaker’s grandson.

Officers with the FBI, Lewis County Sheriff’s Department and Harrison County Sheriff’s Department will talk more about the case during a 1 p.m. press conference Thursday at the Lewis County Courthouse.





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