Virginia toddler missing overnight after hide-and-seek game found alive in woods

CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Va. — Two-year-old Bridget Zeigler has been found alive and in good health in the woods off Anderson Highway in Cumberland County — less than two-tenths of a mile from her home — ending an overnight search that drew dozens of volunteers and multiple law enforcement agencies.

Zeigler was located by law enforcement around 1:30 p.m. Friday and is now with her parents.

The toddler was last seen inside her home on surveillance cameras before she was spotted outside playing hide and seek with her siblings. She is believed to have walked away from her home around 6 p.m. Thursday evening. Law enforcement was notified within the hour and searched through the night.

The search was focused near Anderson Highway and Hidden Valley Road, where canines, a state helicopter, the FBI, and Virginia State Police were all deployed. Dozens of volunteers also turned out to help.

One volunteer, a mother of a 2-year-old herself, said she felt compelled to show up.

"It's so scary. I have a two-year-old at home, so I told my husband. I said, 'We need. I need to do something. It was cold last night. This little girl, it breaks my heart,'" Alexis Taylor said.

She had a message for Zeigler's mother.

"Hang on, we're working on it. We're doing what we can. We're with you. You guys aren't alone. We're doing everything. You have a village," the volunteer said.

Virginia State Police spokesperson Matt Demlein had asked residents to check their properties and hunters to review their trail cameras as the search continued.

"Law enforcement was notified within the hour, and we've been searching ever since," Demlein said.

Zeigler had been the subject of a CODI Alert issued on Sept. 24, 2026.