On the 30th anniversary of Amber Hagerman’s abduction and murder, Arlington police are renewing their appeal to the public to help solve the case.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, 9-year-old Amber, the centerpiece behind the creation of the AMBER Alert, vanished from an Arlington parking lot on Abrams Street, while riding her bike on January 13, 1996.
Her younger brother, Ricky, had been riding his bike alongside her, but returned home, a few blocks away, without her.
According to The Spokesman-Review, a neighbor contacted police after hearing screams and spotting the vehicle.
Four days later, police found Amber’s body near a creek, around six miles from the parking lot. Her throat had been slashed.
A man who lived near the area, Jimmie Kevil, said he saw a man in a black pickup truck forcing Amber into the vehicle before fleeing the area.
“I saw [Amber] riding up and down,” Kevil said in an interview with CBS Dallas-Fort Worth in January 2016.
“She was by herself. I saw this black pickup. He pulled up, jumped out and grabbed her. When she screamed, I figured the police ought to know about it, so I called them.”
On January 27, 1996, radio caller Diane Simone wrote a letter to KDMX-F, pushing for an Emergency Alert System to help abducted children. The call prompted officials to later establish the AMBER Alert.
In January 2021, Arlington police held a news conference in the parking lot to honor the 25th anniversary of Amber’s abduction.
Arlington SGT. Ben Lopez urged all residents in the area, whether undocumented or not, to come forward and assist with any information.
Kevil, the only witness to come forward, has since passed away.
“I miss her voice. I miss her touch. I miss her hugs,” her mother, Donna Norris, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
“I remember everything about her. There’s nothing I’ve forgotten about her.”
Anyone with any information is urged to contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or call the Arlington Police Department at (817) 459-5700.
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[Feature Photo: Amber Hagerman/Handout]
