HAMPTON, Va. - For the very first time the family of missing 4-year-old Codi Bigsby held a news conference and they're offering a $25K reward for information that can help police find Codi or make an arrest.
Tears streamed down the face of family members during the conference. There are still many unanswered questions about what happened to Codi. The family tells us they stand strong in their faith and still believe Codi is alive.
"We're bleeding on the inside," the aunt, Jeannette Hinnant said. "It hurts me every day knowing that we can't talk to him."
The family continues to fight to maintain Cory Bigsby's innocence. His family held a news conference Friday afternoon, alongside his attorney Amina Willard.
"When they could not get him to falsely confess to a crime they started denying him right to counsel," Willard said.
You may remember Codi Bigsby was reported missing by his father on January 31. Nearly half a year later, the family tells us they believe Hampton Police failed to act by not issuing an Amber Alert, and police assuming Cory killed his son.
"He's innocent, he's innocent," a family member said.
Cory remains in jail as of today. He has been indicted on 30 counts by a grand jury.Cory was arrested for multiple child neglect charges unrelated to Codi's disappearance. We reached out to Anton Bell Hampton Commonwealth's Attorney about his response to the allegations.
"The Commonwealth has spoken through its indictments," he said.
Cory's uncle believes it's not fair.
"It's nuts! But look how long he's been locked up and now he's on suicide watch," the uncle said.
Another concern the family has is an Amber Alert not being issued for Codi. In a news conference held by Hampton Police Chief Mark Talbot back in February, he told us investigators didn't find evidence of an abduction and the case did qualify for the alert.
We caught up with the Hampton Police spokesperson and asked was there a letter to State Police for an Amber Alert. The spokesperson did not comment.
Related: Local missing child case sparks conversation over AMBER Alert criteria
"To come out and say, for those who claim to love Codi, if they can give us more information. Like how much more information do you need if we've done everything you've asked us to do. It's not fair at all," the aunt, Tandaleyia Butler said.
The Bigsby family is offering a $25,000 reward being funded through TV Unleashed, a network that works with television shows and social justice issues.
Cory's next court date is July 22.
