ROANOKE, Va. – UPDATE
The missing 12-year-old Roanoke girl previously mentioned in this article has been found, according to Virginia State Police.
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ORIGINAL STORY
Virginia State Police has issued a CODI (Critical Operation for a Disappeared Child Initiative) alert for a missing 12-year-old girl in Roanoke.
She was last seen at noon in the area of Hershberger Rd and Cove Rd Northwest. The investigating agency has determined that her disappearance poses a credible threat to her health and safety.
According to RPD, she was last seen wearing a teal/black zipper jacket with Grinch pj’s and white/green tennis shoes. Authorities said she is 5 feet, 7 inches tall and weighs about 125 pounds.
RPD says that if you know where she is, please call 911 and share what you know.
VSP defined a CODI alert as an alert that assists in the searches for missing or endangered children. The 2024 General Assembly approved the alert, which was named after Codi Bigsby, a 4-year-old from Hampton who was reported missing in 2022 and has never been found.
What criteria must be met for a CODI Alert to be issued?
- The child must be 17 or younger or be currently enrolled in a secondary school in the Commonwealth, regardless of age
- The child’s whereabouts must be unknown, and the disappearance must be under suspicious circumstances or pose a credible threat
- There must also be sufficient information available to spread to the public to assist in location.
What’s the difference between an AMBER Alert and the new CODI alert?
- The element of abduction - When an AMBER alert is issued, an abduction is believed to have taken place
For more information on the criteria for all six alert programs, visit https://vsp.virginia.gov/active-alerts/.
