Where are Amber Hagerman's parents now? Whereabouts explored as Amber: The Girl Behind the Alert airs on Oxygen

Amber Hagerman, a girl from Arlington, Texas, was nine years old when her life ended after an unknown man kidnapped and murdered her in 1996. Amber's story is being investigated and depicted in the new documentary, Amber: The Girl Behind the Alert, which will air on Oxygen on Monday, March 20, 2023.

The official description of the documentary 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 of Amber Hagerman with her little brother Rickey (Image Via Rotten Tomatoes)

Dating back to 1996, the tragic incident shook Amber's mother, Donna Whitson, now Donna Norris, and father, Richard Hagerman, to their core. The case remains unresolved, as even after 27 years, the murderer is yet to be arrested.

Since the news of Amber: The Girl Behind the Alert was released, viewers have been curious about what happened to Amber's parents over the years.

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Amber Hagerman's mother is a child safety campaigner and her dad passed away in 2007

A still of Amber Hagerman's mother Donna Norris (Image Via Rotten Tomatoes)

Since her daughter's demise, Donna has been a strong voice for children's safety. She is a proud child safety campaigner. However, Amber's father Richard Hagerman passed away in 2007.

As per Local Today, Donna and Richard got divorced at the end of 1995, just before the incident that took Amber's life. After their divorce, 9-year-old Amber and her 5-year-old brother Rickey began residing with their mother.

Donna and Richard both desperately wanted justice for their daughter, as they mourned her death. Inspired by Amber's tragic demise, the AMBER Alert System or America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response Alert was created in the same year.

As per All That's Interesting, Donna said in a 2016 statement:

"There’s another part of me that wonders what would have happened if we would have had the alert when Amber went missing. Could it have helped bring her back to me?"

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A still of Amber Hagerman's father Richard Hagerman (Image Via Unseen/YouTube)

Since then, Donna has kept on looking for answers to get justice for her daughter's murder and to see the murderer behind bars.

In an interview with KSAT, she said:

"I miss her every day and she’s just so full of life and I want to know why. Why her? She was only a little girl. And to Amber’s killer, I’m asking you today: Please turn yourself in,...Give Amber justice. Amber needs justice, deeply, deeply needs justice. And to anyone who has seen or heard anything about Amber’s case, please come forward."

Amber's father, Richard Hagerman, struggled over the years to cope with the grief after his daughter's death. He also wanted to see the culprit imprisoned. He faced difficulty with employment and as a coping mechanism, reportedly started developing a drinking habit and soon became an addict. Richard died while seeking justice for his daughter in 2007.

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A still of Amber Hagerman (Image Via Unseen/YouTube)

The AMBER Alert System has saved more than 1,000 children from offenders since its implementation. It’s something that makes Amber's mother Donna 'very proud.' She told KSAT:

"The AMBER Alert, I’m very very proud of it because it is... helping to save our children’s lives. It’s helped bring our children back to mommy and daddy and so it’s another legacy from my daughter that she didn’t die in vain. That she is still taking care of our little children as she did when she was here and I’m very very proud of my daughter and for all she has done for our children here."

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Catch Amber: The Girl Behind the Alert, which arrives on Oxygen on Monday, March 20, 2023, at 8 pm ET.