The Brief
- Jan. 13 marks 30 years since 9-year-old Amber Hagerman was abducted while riding her bike in Arlington, Texas.
- Though her body was found days later, the case remains one of the most high-profile unsolved murders in North Texas history.
- In the wake of her death, North Texas broadcasters and law enforcement partnered to create the AMBER Alert system (America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response).
- Arlington police are currently using advanced DNA technology to re-examine evidence in hopes of identifying the killer.
ARLINGTON, Texas – Jan. 13 marks 30 years since 9-year-old Amber Hagerman was abducted from an Arlington parking lot, a tragedy that sparked the nationwide AMBER Alert system. Three decades later, her killer remains at large, and police are using advanced DNA technology in hopes of generating a full profile of the killer.
Abduction of Amber Hagerman
The backstory:
On Jan. 13, 1996, Amber was riding her bicycle in the parking lot of an abandoned grocery store when a man in a black pickup truck snatched her. A primary witness told Arlington police that Amber screamed and fought her abductor, kicking at him as he forced her into the vehicle.
Four days later, a dog walker discovered her body in a creek about 4 miles from where she was taken.
Local perspective:…