AMBER HAGERMAN - 9 yo(1996) - Arlington - TX

Police still searching for Texas girl’s killer

January 16, 2011

ARLINGTON, Texas — Police have not given up on solving the 1996
murder of a 9-year-old girl who was snatched as she rode her bicycle in a
case that led to the creation of a voluntary child abduction advisory
system in all 50 states, known simply as the Amber Alert.

Thursday was the 15th anniversary of the disappearance of Amber Hagerman of Arlington, Texas.Detective Ben Lopez, who was a patrolman at the time the girl was
reported missing, says he thinks about the case every day and does not
dismiss any possible clue.“That’s why any lead, no matter how small, is important. It may seem
like nothing, but it could be the key to solving the case,” Lopez said.In a rare move, rival radio and television stations in the Dallas-Fort
Worth area joined forces to broadcast alerts in an effort to locate
Amber, last seen alive on Jan. 13. 1996. Her body was discovered several
days later in a drainage ditch. The girl’s throat had been cut.Relatives and family friends of the victim gathered Thursday night at
the parking lot of an abandoned store where Amber was last seen on her
bike.Amber’s mother, Donna Norris, says if the alert system saves one child, it works. Her mourning continues.“I miss her hugs and kisses,” Norris said.So far police have received about 6,800 leads.A man was seen pulling a girl, believed to be Amber, into his truck,
then driving away, leaving behind her bicycle, Lopez said. The witness
was too far away to get the vehicle’s license plate number.The Justice Department describes the Amber Alert system as a voluntary
partnership between law enforcement, broadcasters, transportation
agencies and the wireless industry to activate an urgent bulletin in the
“most serious child-abduction cases.”“We just wish that there was something like that in effect when Amber
was taken,” said Amber’s grandmother, Glenda Whitson. “She might have
come home.”
Read more: http://newsok.com/police-still-searching-for-texas-girls-killer/article/3532724#ixzz1BEsd6Hrr

In January 1996, Amber Hagerman was abducted and murdered in
Arlington. The tragic story later led to the creation of the AMBER
Alert, the emergency response system used when children go missing.




Hagerman's killer was never found, but a WFAA report on Monday
said that police believe they have a lead with couple accused of child
pornography. The report also said they have a new witness, a man who is
working with the Arlington police.

However, NBCDFW reported today
that the leads turned out to be false and that the Hagerman case does
not have any new suspects. "There is no new witness working with
Arlington investigators on this case," police said.
http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2011/mar/08/amber-hagerman-child-murder-crime-false-arlington/

Today Marks 18th Anniversary Of Kidnapping Of Amber Hagerman, Whose Death Inspired AMBER Alerts


By Associated Press


Enlarge image  Credit Wikipedia

Texas Department of Public Safety officials are joining law enforcement around the nation in observing National AMBER Alert Awareness day.

Today is the 18th anniversary of the kidnapping of 9-year-old Amber Hagerman. She was riding her bike in a parking lot in Arlington. She was killed. Her body was later found in a drainage ditch.

The AMBER alert, which stands for "America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response," was created by Dallas-Fort Worth area law enforcement and media representatives in the fall of 1996.

Since then, every state has adopted the program. Gov. Rick Perry established the Texas AMBER Alert in 2002, complementing existing programs already in place.

From its inception, the Texas AMBER Alert program has been activated by the Department of Public Safety 109 times and has helped recover 124 children.

DPS says that should a child go missing, the public should immediately call the authorities and provide them with a recent photo of the child.

http://keranews.org/post/today-marks-18th-anniversary-kidnapping-amber-hagerman-whose-death-inspired-amber-alerts

Amber's Story (on Lifetime)


This is the tragic and true story of the abduction of Amber Hagerman. Her family and the community's efforts to find her and bring her kidnapper to justice prove to be a groundbreaking movement toward implementing a government-run tracking system for missing youth.



http://www.mylifetime.com/movies/ambers-story