Case that sparked AMBER Alert system remains unsolved 28 years later
ARLINGTON, Texas - We often get AMBER Alerts on our phones, but where does the name "Amber" come from? In this week's Missing in Texas, we took a look at the case of a young girl in Arlington that inspired an alert system for missing children.
This week marks 28 years since the disappearance of nine-year-old Amber Hagerman. On Jan. 13, 1996, she was kidnapped off her pink bicycle by a stranger in a black truck.
The bike was found abandoned in a parking lot. Amber's body was found four days later in a nearby creek. To this day, who killed her remains a mystery.
In 2021, on the 25th anniversary of her disappearance, Arlington police hosted a press conference with Amber's mother. Police say this is what a witness saw.
"He described the suspect carrying Amber in that same position as she kicked and screamed at his truck, putting her inside the driver-side door," Det. Grant Gildon with Arlington police said in 2021.
"I want to know why her. She was only a little girl. To Amber’s killer, I’m asking you today to please turn yourself in, give Amber justice," Donna Williams, Amber's mother, said.
Amber was the inspiration for AMBER Alerts, which stands for "America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response." Residents wanted something to be done, so they could be aware when a child is abducted.
More than a thousand children have been successfully recovered after AMBER Alerts.
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The Kyle police chief recently praised a young man who paid attention to an AMBER Alert and led police to a suspect's vehicle that two missing children were in.
"We know all too often that we get these alerts. They may come from different parts of the state, but we need to remember the importance of that information. Law enforcement really does need your help when we send out an AMBER Alert. We do need people to pay attention because you never know when that vehicle is going to pass," Chief Jeff Barnett of Kyle police said.
While AMBER Alerts have saved many other children, Amber Hagerman's case is still unsolved.
"Our hope is that someone in the community saw something, maybe they didn’t come forward 25 years ago out of fear or not wanting to get involved. Whatever reason, we need folks to search their minds and bring forward anything that may add value to our investigation," investigators said.