HAMPTON, Va. — It’s been almost a month since Hampton Police began searching for Codi Bigsby.
On Friday night, Hampton Police Chief Mark Talbot gave the public more insight into their investigation during a town hall.
About 30 people, both officers and community members joined Talbot, Mayor Donnie Tuck and Pastor Joshua King Sr. at Zion Baptist Church.
They were able to ask questions about the investigation into Codi Bigsby’s disappearance and Talbot assured them they are still investigating as if their own child went missing.
"It rapidly became a very intense and emotional investigation," he said.
He says from the beginning, they had every resource they could think of on the ground searching for Codi.
Talbot says calling the FBI in just two hours into the investigation is not protocol, but they knew from the beginning something was wrong.
"I’ve never put more resources into a case than I put into this one," said Talbot who has been in law enforcement for 28 years.
He says they currently have a full-time captain, one lieutenant, three sergeants and two lead detectives working the case. It’s rare to have that many resources involved, according to Talbot.
"It has been a nonstop effort to find him, bring him home, bring justice to his life."
Codi's father, Cory Bigsby, is charged with seven counts of felony child neglect, unrelated to the 4-year-old's disappearance.
Just two weeks ago, Talbot told the public that the lead detective on the case did not honor Cory's request for an attorney during a heated exchange.
On Friday, Talbot says that detective is still on paid leave.
He told the crowd he hopes that by seeing them own up to their mistakes, they'll trust his department wants to do things right.
"When you have an organization of 300 or 400 people and you're engaged in the hardest work that there is to do in society, you will run into the inevitable collision course with the fallibility of human beings."
He says the investigation has been emotionally very difficult for both the community and his officers.
"Some of the saddest moments of this investigation have involved seeing deeply into this child’s life."
Over the last month, police have continued to widen the timeframe of when Codi was last seen.
As of Friday, they still aren't sure.
"We’re still not sure when the last time somebody saw this child healthy and talking and playing. We still don’t know," says Talbot.
He says the main roadblock in the investigation boils down to one thing.
"The conscious choices of adults to not tell us things."
For community search teams asking for more direction on where to search, Talbot says that’s up to the people that loved Codi.
"I could give you more direction if the people who said they love Codi Bigsby gave us more direction.
Rhoda Young asked the chief a question on everyone's mind: Does he think Codi is still alive?
"That is, frankly, a hard question. I don't know what happened to him. I'm not willing to sit here and say 'he's not alive,'" he said. "I think what I said within a couple of weeks stands now. With each passing day, it becomes harder and harder to maintain hope that this child is alive."