HAMPTON, Va. — Heading into the weekend, there’s now a shift in the search for missing 4-year-old Codi Bigsby.
Crews spent the afternoon packing up the command center by the Buckroe Pointe Apartments where they staged their search efforts all week.
Hampton Police Chief Mark Talbot says even though Cory Bigsby has been arrested on unrelated charges, that doesn’t mean the search is over.
"Our investigation is not over. It will not end with that arrest. In fact, in some ways, our investigation is going to start and become more intense now," Talbot said during Friday's news conference.
Police said they are now moving into an evidence and intelligence-based operation, instead of the massive search operation we’ve seen over the last five days.
"Our partners in particular with the FBI have provided us with an extensive amount of forensic data for us to review and process and follow up on," said Talbot.
He said they still have a lot of people to interview and other areas to search. Talbot said the agencies that have assisted so far still stand ready to help how they can.
Even though the investigation is shifting gears, community volunteers say they aren't finished helping out and searching on foot.
"Looking over there and it’s empty it kind of makes feel like maybe they know something and moving away. Either way, our mission is the same. We haven’t found baby Codi and we need some answers," said Yugonea Jones. "We're gonna find him and bring him home."
She said she was drawn to help because she is a mother herself.
The Black Lives Matter 757 search team has searched through the woods and checked different nearby areas.
Jones also said they’ve run into some people who didn’t even know Codi is missing.
So, she said continuing to get the word out is key.
"There’s some really dedicated people out here that have been out here since Monday."
As for Chief Talbot, he said police still hope they can bring Codi home, but as the days go on, their hope starts to dwindle.
"With each day that passes, we become more and more concerned and we lose a little bit more hope. Obviously, the longer we go, the more tragic it feels."