HAMPTON, Va. — An effort was underway Friday to create an app for missing person alerts.
It's an idea that gives Nancy Strickland some peace of mind. She has been heavily involved in the Codi Bigsby missing person case.
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“Codi was a very, very important little guy," Strickland said.
Strickland has never forgotten about Codi. She has a picture of him on her living room wall.
News 3 has interviewed her multiple times about the effort she and many others have made to try to find the Hampton boy. It’s a case News 3 has covered extensively.
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“I think what drew me to Codi was his eyes," said Strickland.
As of February 13, there was a bill going through the General Assembly to provide funding to create an app where people can get information about a missing person and submit tips. The app is not meant, however, to replace the alerts that are already sent out.
It’s the brainchild of York County’s commonwealth’s attorney, Krystyn Reid, and the United Way of the Virginia Peninsula’s CEO, Charvala West.
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“The Guardian App allows the different missing person alerts to all be unified in one database. It empowers the public to do something, to stay informed, and to participate in bringing missing people home," Reid explained.
“I think, for United Way, we are here to advocate for the vulnerable populations who will benefit from this app and their families," said West.
Strickland doesn’t believe the app would’ve changed the outcome in Codi’s case, but is hopeful it can help prevent similar situations in the future.
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“We’re not going to have to search Facebook or wait until the news comes out. We could be at the grocery store and we could see the adult, or we could see the child, and then look at the app and be, like, ‘Okay, this is where we saw this missing person.’ I believe that it’s a fantastic idea," said Strickland.
As of February 13, a developer had not been chosen for the app, but the hope was to have the app available within a year if funding is approved.
