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Amber Hagerman, a young girl from Arlington, Texas, was kidnapped and brutally murdered in 1996. The horrifying true events of the case will be explored and chronicled in the upcoming documentary titled, Amber: The Girl Behind the Alert, which is all set to air exclusively on Oxygen on Monday, March 20, 2023, at 8:00 pm ET.
Trigger warning: This article contains details of the abduction and murder of a child that may not be suitable for certain readers. Discretion is advised.
As stated in the official synopsis for Amber: The Girl Behind the Alert, released by Oxygen:
"For the first and last time, Amber Hagerman's mother details her daughter's shocking murder and shares chilling documentary footage that captures the 9-year-old's final days; Amber's legacy is an alert system that has saved over a thousand children."
The spine-chilling case shook the city of Arlington to its core. Unfortunately, despite the Arlington Police Department's thorough investigation and numerous leads, the case remains unresolved, and the murderer has yet to be apprehended.
5 significant facts about the 1996 Amber Hagerman abduction and murder case
1) Amber Hagerman was only 9 years of age when she got kidnapped
Amber Rene Hagerman's tragic story goes back to January 1996. Born on November 25, 1986, Amber was the 9-year-old daughter of Richard Hagerman and Donna Whitson, now Norris. She also had a younger brother called Ricky. Amber lived with her parents and brother in Arlington, Texas.
The young girl had a bright future ahead of her, but she and her loved ones' lives were turned upside down on January 13, 1996, when she was abducted from the parking lot of an abandoned Winn-Dixie grocery store by an unknown man.
2) A man named Jimmie Kevil saw Amber getting kidnapped
On the day of the kidnapping, Amber and her younger brother Ricky were riding their bicycles near their grandmother's place at around 3:10 in the afternoon. While her brother chose to return home, she paddled to the parking lot, where she was kidnapped.
A man named Jimmie Kevil, who was a neighbor in the area, witnessed the kidnapper getting Amber off her bicycle and putting her inside his black pickup truck. He heard Amber cry for help as the man drove off from the spot. Kevil was 78 years old at the time and was a former sheriff’s deputy. He called the police right after the incident occurred. Kevil told CBS Dallas Fort-Worth:
"[The kidnapper] pulled up, jumped out, and grabbed her,...When she screamed, I figured the police ought to know about it, so I called them." (Via ati)
3) Amber's wounded dead body was found in a creek close to her home
Sergeant Ben Lopez of Arlington PD was on duty that day and rushed to the spot along with other police officers right after Kevil informed authorities about the kidnapping. The police then immediately began the search for Amber, however, it was to no avail.
In a media statement, Lopez said:
"I responded to the area and began looking for the suspect vehicle began looking for Amber and began of course looking for the suspect," (Via KSAT)
Four days later, the little girl's remains were found in a creek not too far from her house. Her dead body was nude and in an unrecognizable condition. She had a deep stab wound around her neck. Ex-police detective Randy Lockhart said at the Cleburne Rotary Club luncheon in 2021:
"Amber was totally nude except for a sock on her left foot....We rolled her over and I caught her head in my hands. Several lacerations to her throat. [A] knife or screwdriver had been used to rip her throat out." (Via ati)
4) The man behind the heinous murder of Amber Hagerman has not been caught yet
The case was absolutely rattling for the entire Arlington community. To catch the inhuman culprit, the Arlington Police Department formed an exclusive task force to investigate the 1996 case. Former Detective Lopez said in an interview with KSAT:
"What was a kidnapping investigation then became a murder investigation. Because of the overwhelming number of leads that we were receiving at that time, the department formed a task force to investigate her murder. I was one of the original members of that task force,” (Via KSAT)
Reportedly, a team of one sergeant and twelve detectives formed a new task force, specially created for this particular case. They operated with the FBI and the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office to investigate. The team received and cleared approximately 5,500 leads. Unfortunately, the man who ended Amber's precious life has yet to be caught. Thus, till today, nobody has been charged or arrested in the case.
5) Amber's death led to the establishment of the AMBER Alert System
Amber Hagerman's heart-wrenching demise inspired the creation of the AMBER Alert System or America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response Alert.
As the little girl’s family mourned her death, Diane Simone, a Texas mother, came up with an incredible idea. She went on to call a local radio station and explain her idea of developing a national alert system for missing children, and with that, the idea for the AMBER Alert system was first born and further developed.
Watch Amber: The Girl Behind the Alert, which will arrive this Monday, March 20, 2023, at 8 pm ET, on Oxygen.
