A massive search is underway in rural Cumberland County, Virginia, after 2-year-old Bridget Maeve Zeigler walked away from her home on Hidden Valley Road and vanished sometime around 6 p.m. Thursday. The toddler was last seen wearing an orange dress, a blue coat and white sneakers, and searchers scrambled within an hour of her disappearance.
Virginia State Police and local authorities were involved in the search for Bridget, according to the KFOX report on the case, which also carried details first published by WSET. The girl is described as having brown hair and blue eyes, standing about two feet tall and weighing roughly 30 pounds. The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office says the search began almost immediately after she was reported missing, but as of Friday she had not been located.
Virginia's CODI Alert system exists for cases involving a missing child. Unlike an AMBER Alert, which is used when an abduction is believed to have taken place, a CODI Alert may be issued when a child's whereabouts are unknown, the child meets the age or school-status requirement, the disappearance involves suspicious circumstances or poses a credible threat to the child's health and safety, and sufficient information is available to alert the public; other circumstances are subject to State Police judgment, according to Virginia State Police. The alert was approved in 2024.
Why the Alert Bears a Missing Boy's Name
The CODI Alert is named for Codi Bigsby, a 4-year-old boy who disappeared from Hampton, Virginia, in January 2022. The alert was approved in 2024.
Bridget's disappearance is playing out in Cumberland County, Virginia.
A Small Department Leans on State and Federal Help
The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office is among the agencies involved in the search. Virginia State Police, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management and the FBI are also involved, along with additional law enforcement and fire and rescue agencies. Aviation and K-9 resources are being used in the search.
The FBI is also involved in the search. Search teams are using both aviation and K-9 resources to cover ground quickly, and officials are asking residents to check property and security cameras, and hunters to check trail cameras, for any sign of the toddler. The urgency reflects research cited by the FBI showing that 74 percent of abducted children who are later killed die within the first three hours of disappearing, a statistic that helps explain why agencies move fast and wide in the opening hours of a case like this.
Statewide Alert System Sees Frequent Use
Virginia State Police issued a CODI Alert on September 23 for 6-year-old Matthew Bence Rottenhoffer, who went missing in Franklin, Virginia, according to WVEC. Hoodline previously reported on the Arlington teen CODI search last month, another case activated under the same state protocol.
The precise circumstances of how Bridget got away from her home on Hidden Valley Road remain unclear, and officials have not said whether environmental hazards or foul play may be involved. Anyone who sees Bridget Maeve Zeigler is asked to call the Cumberland County Sheriff's Department at 804-492-4120.
