Amber: The Girl Behind the Alert - How did Amber Hagerman die?

Amber: The Girl Behind the Alert, a new true crime documentary on Oxygen, will tell the story of Amber Hagerman on Monday, March 20, 2023, at 8 pm ET. Amber was a nine-year-old who was abducted and murdered in 1996.

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.

The official synopsis for Amber: The Girl Behind the Alert, given by Oxygen, reads:

"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."

A still from Amber: The Girl Behind the Alert (Image Via Oxygen)

The tragic story of Amber Hagerman's death goes back to 1996 in Arlington, Texas, where she was abducted. The nine-year-old was brutally murdered by an unknown man, who still hasn't been caught and charged for the crime.

However, Amber's abduction and death led to the creation of the AMBER Alert System, which has since saved more than a thousand children from predators. The system sends out an instant alert to communities where a child has gone missing or been abducted. It sends out the alert to people who can assist in the search for the child.

Ever since the news of Amber: The Girl Behind the Alert arriving on Oxygen was released, viewers have been curious to learn about what happened to Amber Hagerman.

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Amber Hagerman was on a bicycle ride when she was abducted by a stranger

A still of Amber Hagerman (Image Via CBS Texas)

Amber Rene Hagerman was a nine-year-old from Arlington, Texas, whose chilling death shook the entire city of Arlington. She was born to Donna Whitson, now Norris, and Richard Hagerman on November 25, 1986. Amber also had a younger brother named Ricky.

In a 2021 press conference, Amber's mother Donna spoke about the tragic day. She said that Amber loved riding her bicycle and loved "being a little mommy" to her brother Ricky.

On January 13, 1996, nine-year-old Amber and five-year-old Ricky went for a bicycle ride at around 3:10 pm from their grandmother's house in Arlington. While their grandmother had told them to stay close to the house, Amber cycled to a nearby parking lot of a Winn-Dixie grocery store. However, since Ricky didn't want to ride there, he went back to their grandmother's house.

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A still of Amber Hagerman's bicycle (Image Via CBS Texas)

Within eight minutes of Ricky going back, a man in a black pickup truck stopped beside Amber and forced her off her bike, and put her in his car before driving off. A 78-year-old neighbor named Jimmie Kevil saw the abduction take place and immediately called the police to inform them of it.

Recalling the incident, Kevil told CBS Dallas Fort-Worth that the kidnapper pulled up to Amber, and grabbed her. It was when she screamed that Kevil called the police thinking that they'd know what to do.

Sergeant Ben Lopez from Arlington PD, and the Arlington Police Department reached the spot and began their search for the missing girl. Lopez said in a media statement:

"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.com)

A still of the creek where Amber Hagerman's dead body was found (Image Via CBS Texas)

Despite an intense and extensive search, Amber was nowhere to be found. However, four days later, her unrecognizable dead body was discovered a few miles from her house, in a creek.

Randy Lockhart, a former Arlington police detective who went to the creek, said in a 2021 interview at the Cleburne Rotary Club luncheon:

"Amber was totally nude except for a sock on her left foot." (Via ati)

According to the autopsy report, she died due to severe stab wounds to the neck. Her story inspired the beginning and further development of the AMBER Alert System, which stands for America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response Alert.

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Don't forget to watch Amber: The Girl Behind the Alert, which will air on Oxygen on Monday, March 20, 2023, at 8 pm ET.