Photo courtesy of WAVY
Officials in Hampton, Virginia, are searching for a four-year-old boy reported missing by his father more than three weeks ago, police said.
Hampton Police Chief Mark Talbot addressed reporters during a news conference on Wednesday, Feb. 9, and reported information his department has obtained following four-year-old Codi Bigsby’s disappearance, WKTR reported.
“Each day, it becomes harder to believe Codi Bigsby is alive and well,” said Talbot.
The Hampton Police Department has partnered with the FBI and other local law enforcement in the investigation to find the four-year-old boy. While AMBER alerts are usually issued when children go missing, the department has faced backlash from community members for their lack of an AMBER alert to locate Bigsby.
Since investigators did not find evidence of an alleged abduction, Talbot said the young boy’s case did not qualify for an AMBER alert.
“I will say AMBER Alert is a great tool,” said Talbot. “It was created in 1996. In 2022, we’re all connected. I don’t think that we had any difficulty getting the word out about this missing child.”
AMBER alerts activate the Emergency Alert System to notify cell phones, radio, and television announcements VDOT message boards when a potential abduction has occurred.
According to WTKR’s investigation team, the police chief does not have the authority to issue an AMBER alert. The case has to meet the following criteria for the Virginia State police to active an alert.
1. The abducted child must be 17 years of age or younger or currently enrolled in a secondary school in the Commonwealth, regardless of age, and the reporting law enforcement agency believes the child has been abducted (unwillingly taken from their environment without permission from the child’s parent or legal guardian).
2. The law enforcement agency believes the missing child is in imminent danger of serious bodily harm or death.
3. A law enforcement investigation has taken place that verified the abduction or eliminated alternative explanations.
4. Sufficient information is available to disseminate to the public that could assist in locating the child, suspect, and/or the suspect’s vehicle.
5. The child must be entered into the Virginia Criminal Information Network (VCIN) and the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) missing person files as soon as practical.
While enlisting other law enforcement agencies, there is a greater chance of finding a missing person.
“We have every resource out here that we can think of to bring Codi home safely,” Talbot said.
“Manpower, drones, [and] search teams, that is very vital because time is of the essence,” said Derrica Wilson, co-founder of the Black and Missing Foundation.
Wilson told News 3 that larger agencies aren’t always called in to find missing persons of color. However, she understood why Bigsby’s case did not require an AMBER alert.
“Just because he’s missing out of Virginia doesn’t mean that he’s in Virginia,” said Wilson. “He can be in North Carolina. He could be in South Carolina. He can be in Florida. When you activate an AMBER Alert, it brings awareness to this child is […] missing and everyone is vigilant within their communities to try to bring him home.”
According to court documents, the young boy’s father, Cory Bigsby, revealed that he left his four children, ages five and under, alone for three hours.
On Jan. 25, police started looking for anyone who may have seen the four-year-old. Six days later, senior Bigsby called 911 and reported when he last saw his son and volunteered for questioning at the police station.
Police named Cory the sole person of interest and arrested him on neglect charges for leaving his minor children unattended. During a bond hearing on Feb. 8, the judge was concerned about several violent complaints against Bigsby along with an AWOL military conviction.
The case is still being investigated, and the search for four-year-old Codi has continued.