HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) — Cory Bigsby, the father of a Hampton boy who’s been missing since January, faces 23 more charges after a grand jury indictment, for a total of 30 charges.
The new charges are not related to the disappearance of his son, 4-year-old Codi Bigsby.
The child was reported missing from his home in the Buckroe area of Hampton on January 31 and has yet to be found.
Bigsby remains the only person of interest in the case, according to police.
Up until now, Bigsby was facing seven child neglect charges after court documents say he admitted to leaving his children home alone. We’re told 15 more charges for child neglect were added for leaving the children home alone.
Four charges were added for alleged child abuse and two additional child neglect charges were added in connection to those child abuse charges. There were two misdemeanors added for failure to secure medical attention for an injured child.
We’ve also learned two of the additional indictments were for failing to get an injured child medical help.
Even though none of these charges are related to Codi’s disappearance, local search groups say they aren’t giving up hope.
Several new indictments were filed by the Hampton Commonwealth’s Attorney in connection to the Cory Bigsby case Tuesday afternoon.
Court records show Bigsby previously confessed to leaving his kids at home alone. He told detectives the kids were “too much of a handful” and he didn’t think about getting a babysitter.
Bigsby’s attorney, Amina Matheny-Willard, issued a statement following the indictments, calling the case a “modern-day lynching.”
Read Matheny-Willard’s full statement below:
“Today the Hampton Commonwealth’s Attorney announced a 30-count indictment against Cory Bigsby. The law enforcement cover up in this case is shocking, and the result is a desperate father sitting in jail while his son is missing. Because the Commonwealth’s Attorney knows that Cory is innocent, he cannot indict Cory for the disappearance of Codi Bigsby … because he is innocent. They locked him up, deprived him of a lawyer, and tortured him in an effort to secure a confession. They soon realized, a combat veteran turned innocent father doesn’t break, and he doesn’t confess to a crime he didn’t commit. When police realized Cory was innocent, they should have moved on to other potential suspects.
Instead, law enforcement doubled down. Our criminal justice system’s history is littered with cases like this, where the “ends justify the means” to arrogant police and prosecutors. As we see in case after case where corrupt police were able to obtain forced confessions – the state was wrong.
The Commonwealth is likewise wrong here, and in this case, Cory Bigsby withstood their torture techniques and refused to confess to a crime he didn’t commit. Today’s indictments carry one clear message: Cory Bigsby had nothing to do with Codi’s disappearance, and the Commonwealth’s failure to make a case is an admission to this fact.
The indictments at hand are absolute nonsense. The allegations against Cory could be made against any busy and struggling parent, as it seems the Commonwealth’s Attorney must be reminded that not everyone has a disposable income with which to hire day care or an Au Pair. The Commonwealth is desperate to convict Cory of something… anything… because they know that Mr. Bigsby will be filing complex federal litigation against the city to hold them accountable for their horrific conduct in this case. This case is not a prosecution… it’s a modern-day lynching.
Mr. Bigsby looks forward to his day in Court.
Amina Matheny-Willard, Attorney and Counselor at Law
Bigsby’s 5-year-old and 2-year-old twins are now in foster care.
Codi is still missing, but local search groups aren’t giving up hope.
“We’re gonna stay out in this fight we’re gonna stay out here for Codi,” said Hear Their Voices Founder Kay Coleman.
Coleman says their most recent search was last Friday.
Founder of Water Team Inc. Joe Slabinski says there was a lot of participation when Codi first went missing, but they hope more people will join in again.
“I’m hoping they come back and I am hoping they come back as strong as they were at the height of all this at the beginning,” said Slabinski.
“Even when people fell off, we were like ‘they’re gonna fall off, but we’re gonna step up even more’,” said Slabinski.
Codi was last seen at the Buckroe Point Townhomes in the Buckroe area of Hampton.
Coleman says they’ll continue to hang posters and search for answers.
“We didn’t forget about Codi and we are not going to forget about Codi so we are going to do what it takes to keep his name out there,” said Coleman.
During Bigsby’s latest court appearance in June, a judge ruled there was enough evidence to move the case to a grand jury, which brings us to today.
A trial date has not been set.
If convicted, Bigsby could face up to 162 years in prison.
If you’d like to assist in the search for Codi, click here.
WAVY News is working to learn more about the child abuse allegations.
Cory Bigsby’s family is scheduled to have a press conference on July 15 to discuss the latest developments.
Continue to check WAVY.com for updates.
