CHESTERFIELD, Va. (WTVR) – A CBS 6 viewer reached out to the newsroom after word spread on social media about a cryptic message at the site where a Cosby High School student took his own life last year.
Chesterfield County School spokesman Shawn Smith sent CBS 6 a copy of an email shared with Cosby High School students, that referenced a statement written in Hampton Park over the weekend.
Parents and students expressed concern, although the statement itself never referenced Cosby High School and no direct threat was made against the school or student.
The message was “JUSTICE FOR CAL STARTS 5/1/14.”
It was also allegedly spray-painted on a stop sign.
McAllister “Cal” Reilly, a 17-year-old graduating senior at Cosby High school, hung himself in a concrete tunnel under a roadway in the sprawling Hampton Park community in far western Chesterfield on June 2, 2013.
The walking tunnel connects two watery, park-like neighborhood vistas.
The principal's message said that Chesterfield Police – who CBS 6 contacted early Monday afternoon – were investigating.
“Police have spoken with several neighborhood resident today, and through those conversations have identified an adult who may have written this note,” the school statement said. “Police remain on school property continuing to investigate and will be here as long as needed.”
"It's a major topic right now," said high school student Kellen Hardcastle, who added that he had heard a lot of different things about what the message meant. "It all really depends on the person who tells you."
"It’s not the first time this bridge has been in the spotlight.
For days, 30 or more of Cal’s friends added spray-painted messages to an impromptu memorial in and around the tunnel.
Over the days, the brightly colored memories and messages grew until it became “Cal’s Tunnel.”
The spray painting controversy was discussed during the Hampton Park Homeowner’s Association board meeting in June 2013. Board members listened to concerns from homeowners and parents of distraught teens.
The board hired a contractor to paint over the tunnel. Three adults and a group of juveniles were charged with felonies over the painting that were later nolle prossed.
