VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - When you hear of a missing person, one of the first thoughts that comes to mind is how authorities are working to make sure they're found. Part of that solution is the use of alerts.
Here in Virginia, four types can be issued.
The first is an AMBER Alert. To qualify for that, the missing child must be 17 years old or younger, be in imminent danger, and police must believe they were abducted.
There's also the Ashanti Alert for abducted adults.
For Silver Alerts, the missing person must be 60 or older or have a permanent cognitive impairment that poses a threat to their health and safety.
Then, there's also the Missing Person with Autism Alert.
But for some of the missing, none of the criteria are met to qualify for a heightened alert.
The specific criteria often raises questions.
It’s part of the reason little Codi Bigsby, who’s been missing out of Hampton for now more than four weeks, did not receive an alert. Despite being 4 years old and considered endangered, police did not believe he was abducted, so no alert was issued.
Here at News 3, we're making sure all cases get the exposure they deserve - even if they don't qualify for an alert.
So, we are asking: Have you seen me?
This is Janijah Drew.
The 16-year-old was last seen on May 8, 2021, in Virginia Beach.
She is 5’5” and weighs about 135 pounds. She may be wearing a black shirt, black shorts and white Nike shoes, and she has two piercings in each ear.
If you have any information on Drew’s whereabouts, call the Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP (1-888-562-5887).
- Samaritan House also operates a 24/7 crisis hotline for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and human trafficking. That number is (757) 430-2120.
- You can also call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
- To report a tip of suspected human trafficking activity, you can call 1-866-347-2423.
You can also check out our News 3 investigation and all of our missing persons coverage here.
