NORFOLK, Va. — National Missing Children's Day on May 25 is a chance to remember the hundreds of missing children in Virginia and the thousands missing across the United States.
Some of them have been gone a few days, while others haven’t been seen by friends and family in years.
It seems these days that Codi Bigsby is the poster child for missing children in Hampton Roads: the face of innocence, lost without a trace.
But Codi is far from the only missing child in our region.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children lists at least 585 missing kids in Virginia. In Hampton Roads, we counted 166 missing children.
Many of those are recent runaway cases that could be closed any day. But others are cold cases, dating back decades, with possible foul play involved.
Darren Hillis is the oldest Hampton Roads case on the NCMEC website. He was just 14 years old when he disappeared on his walk to Blair Middle School on the morning of March 12, 1973.
He would be 64 today.
Instead, his family has no closure as to what exactly happened to him that morning.
And that’s just one of the countless names worth remembering on this National Missing Children’s Day.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has data on national cases and resources available for parents and kids on their site.
After reporting a child missing to the police, you can reach out to 1-800-843-5678 for assistance, and resources, and spreading the word.