“Our investigation is not over and will not end with the arrest, in fact, our investigation is going to start to become more intense now,” the police chief said.
The father of a missing 4-year-old Virginia boy has been taken into custody on seven counts of felony child neglect. It is unclear if the charges are connected with the disappearance of his son, Codi Bigsby, who has been missing since Monday, according to published news reports.
On Friday morning, Cory Bigsby appeared via video for an arraignment on the charges. He has not yet entered a plea. A bond hearing is set for next Tuesday, as the prosecuting attorney wasn’t available Friday, WAVY10 News reported.
During a Friday press conference, Hampton Police Chief Mark Talbot said that Codi’s father admitted to leaving his children home alone.
“He [Cory Bigsby] reported that he left his 5-year-old, 4year-old, and 2-year-old twins home alone. This was reported to have occurred on numerous occasion,” Hampton Police,“ Talbot said. “He reported that it was too much of a burden to bring his kids along with him.”
One of those incidents took place on Jan. 25, from 5:09 p.m. to 7:09 p.m. According to a criminal complaint, Hampton police said Bigsby confessed to leaving his young children at home alone as he visited several locations during that two-hour span, WAVY10 News reported.
The police chief said that their investigation will not stop with the arrest of Codi’s father. “Our investigation is not over and will not end with the arrest, in fact, our investigation is going to start to become more intense now,” Talbot said.
Talbot expressed gratitude to all the volunteers and the various agencies that are helping to locate Codi. When a reporter asked why Codi’s mother, who lives in the Washington D.C area., is not involved in the search, the police chief replied: “We know where his mother is. We have spoken to her. She has answered all of our questions.”
Talbot continued: “We are continuing to search and hope we that can bring Codi Bigsby home. With each day that passes we become more and more concerned and we lose a little more hope. The longer we go the more tragic it feels."
Codi Bigsby was last seen at the Buckroe Pointe apartment complex in Hampton, Va. located in the 100 block of Ranalet Drive on Monday around 2 a.m., officials said.
Codi’s father, Cody Bigsby, 43, called police around 9 a.m. on Monday to report his son missing, Chief Talbot said at a Tuesday press conference,
The boy’s father told police that he reportedly saw his son sleeping around 2 a.m. and when he woke up and searched his home his son was nowhere to be found, Talbot said.
Earlier in the investigation, Codi’s parents were both considered persons of interest, but on Wednesday police announced that only Codi’s father was named a person of interest, Inside Edition Digital previously reported.
“I’m going to provide some clarification on the person of interest in this case. The person of interest is Cory Bigsby. He is a 43-year-old Hampton man,” said Hampton Police PIO Sgt. Reggie Williams during a Wednesday press briefing. “Cory is still with us at police headquarters. He is there voluntarily and choosing to answer our questions."
“We are still seeking information on Codi’s last known whereabouts. We are also seeking information on his father’s whereabouts. Any information that you could potentially be of value,” Williams said. “Where he goes? Where he shops? Who he is? And, What he does?”
In the meantime, the search continues, which includes volunteers and other agencies including the Virginia Department of Emergency Management. Other resources, Williams said, they are using in search of the boy are cadaver- and search-rescue canines.
“Our search is expanding. We are searching new areas of the grid that was not previously searched,” Williams said. “We are asking for residents of the old Buckroe neighborhood and surrounding areas to check their own property. If you spot something out of place or suspicious contact police and we will send someone out to you.”
Williams said the search at the Hampton/NASA Steam Plant where a team was deployed on Tuesday was complete.
The steam plant, located near the NASA Langley Research Center, is the same location where 2-year-old Noah Tomlin was found dead in July 2019, WAVY10 News reported.
Earlier in the week, Chief Talbot said “we don’t believe that 4-year-old Codi wandered off and we don’t believe that he was abducted.”
Codi lives with his father full-time, and there were other small children inside the home when police searched the apartment, according to Talbot.
On Tuesday, the police chief said the timeline Codi’s father is giving is not adding up.
“The evidence we have does not completely match the stories we received at this time,” Talbot said. “We probably won’t know for certain how much is being left out until we find this child.”
According to court documents obtained by WAVY 10 On Your Side, an assault allegation was made in 2018 against Cory Bigsby, Codi’s father. The assault claim was made by Codi’s mother. The case, however, did not proceed in court and was dismissed because Codi’s mom reportedly refused to cooperate or appear in court, the news station previously reported.
The police continue to ask the public’s help in locating the toddler.
“We are interested in any video that anyone might have that something they believed may be related,” the police chief said. “We are not convinced that it happened exactly when we heard about it.”
Codi Bigsby is approximately 3 feet tall. He was last seen wearing all-black clothing and Spider-Man flip-flops. Anyone who finds Codi is asked to call 911.
