HAMPTON, Va. — Due to so much interest, Hampton police shared a sign-up link Tuesday to recruit 50 volunteers to aid in the search for missing Codi Bigsby.
Shortly after posting, the division closed it as spots quickly filled up.
Side-by-side with first responding agencies, civilians are now part of the large-grid search in the Buckroe Beach section of Hampton.
“It’s a big question mark of what’s happened to him," said Regina Tucker, a concerned resident of Newport News.
Crews are mostly zeroing in on areas near Codi's home at Buckroe Pointe Apartment Townhomes.
“We just walked all the way around. We were checking trash cans. We were going behind the shopping plaza," said Ikelia Chapman, who sprung into action when she saw the four-year-old was still missing Tuesday.
"In some neighborhoods, we were yelling out his name, ‘Codi, Codi,'" Champman added.
Williamsburg couple Rachel Polanco and Andrew Pound also signed up on Hampton Police Division’s volunteer list.
“It’s really good to see so many people who are willing and eager to help other people in need like this," said Pound.
While Polanco and Pound weren’t selected Tuesday, they were glad to see so much support for the little boy.
“I think that’s a good thing when social media comes into play. We didn’t know the child and we live 40 minutes away. And now, we have his picture," said Polanco. “We really just wanted to help in any way that we could."
Police are asking those who saw Codi, particularly between the time frames of noon Sunday and Monday morning, to report their sighting.
“Contact the authorities, say ‘hey, I saw this, now that I think about it, I didn’t feel comfortable – it was in this area.’ Notify the authorities, because a lot of times, it’s the little things that we overlook," said Darnell Howard, another concerned resident who lives in Hampton.
He, Charese Howard and Tucker signed up to aid in the search, starting Wednesday.
“I hope we won’t stop until we get the answers and we bring this little boy home, one way or another," said Tucker.
“It touches my heart," said Howard. "No matter who it is, whether we’re blood or not, we’re a village.”
Hampton police said they will reopen the volunteer sign-up link, as needed. They have received an "overwhelming" response and have already started reaching out to and scheduling interested volunteers, an official told 13News Now.
Codi was reported last wearing all black and Spider-Man flip-flops. If you have any information that can help police in their search, call Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP immediately.
