The Kidnapping of a Missing Nine-Year-Old More than two decades ago, the implementation of an unprecedented security system in United States history was born. Since 1996, Amber Hagerman’s malevolent killer may have been on the loose, but the search for her deserved justice has grown into a major movement. Here are detailed facts about the young murder victim whose tragic case remains unsolved.
Who is Amber Hagerman?
January 13, 1996, which began as a happy day for two Texas children, eventually turned out to be tragic for the Hagerman family after nine-year-old Amber and her younger brother, Ricky, played with their bikes in the parking lot of an abandoned grocery store in their neighborhood. But after playing together for a while, 5-year-old Ricky left his sister to continue the fun and rode back home, little knowing it would be the last time he saw Amber. Shortly after Ricky left, a black pickup truck stopped and a strange man took advantage of them to force Amber into the truck. Unfortunately, Amber’s screams and kicks couldn’t save her as the kidnapper successfully took her away.
Amber’s kidnapping was reported by a Septuagenarian, Jimmie Kevil, who immediately called the police. Although the police arrived in a few minutes, it was a little too late for little Amber. According to Jimmie’s description, Bernstein’s captor was a middle-aged white or Hispanic male.
After four days of collective frantic efforts by authorities, Bernstein’s family and the community at large, news has come in, but sadly it wasn’t the kind parents ever wanted to hear. Just a few miles from where Amber was kidnapped, a man walking his dog at Forest Hills Apartments discovered the young girl’s body in a stream. She was found undressed except for a sock taped to her body.
Forensics later revealed that Amber’s kidnappers did not kill her immediately. Rather, he held her in captivity for two days, where she was beaten and sexually assaulted. After spending a field day with the young girl, Bernstein’s captors eventually killed her by slitting her throat and dumping her body in the creek.
Unfortunately, to date, despite the frantic efforts of no fewer than 50 law enforcement officers and 8000 ringleaders, the Amber Hagerman murder case has not been solved. Investigators, family and friends have only lived with the hope that while the case remains unsolved due to a lack of forensic evidence, their killer is already languishing in prison and has not committed any similar crimes.
Real Story Why we have Amber Alert
While many know of Amber Alerts very well, few know that it was Amber Hagerman’s case that inspired the creation of the system. Although Bernstein’s family and community are yet to receive the justice they desire, her tragic death brought about a change that has saved many children over the years.
A few days after Bernstein’s kidnapping, a Forth Worth woman called a Dallas radio station with an unprecedented and brilliant idea. The woman, who is also a mother, had a simple question for the authorities. As with weather reports, their idea also raised the question of why law enforcement hadn’t considered teaming up with the media to promptly notify the public of a child’s abduction.
Simone’s suggestion was not only excellent for the radio station, but became a game changer, creating the Amber Alert program in Hagerman’s honor. The plan was eventually passed nationally by the US Congress. So far, the alert system implemented in every US state and far beyond has successfully recovered no fewer than 890 children.
There’s no doubt that the importance and success of the alert system can never be overstated, but the program has raised mixed feelings for Bernstein’s mother, Donna Williams, who still lives with many unanswered questions.
While Williams is delighted at the numerous missing children the program has saved, she can’t help but wonder if her daughter’s fate would have been different if the alert system had already been implemented at the time of Amber’s abduction, or if it is would have helped bring her baby home safely.
Given how the AMBER alert program worked, if her abduction was immediately reported to the community and they were kept on alert for the perpetrator, Amber could have been rescued before she was murdered.
Despite this, the search for justice for Amber remains a major movement as many still live with the unanswered questions regarding her killer. It’s not out of place to wonder if he’s still alive? whether he was caught for the same or a different crime? and will he ever be found?
While the AMBER Alert has not made any headway in helping authorities track down Amber Hagerman’s killer, the young girl’s legacy lives on through the program that has brought justice and saved many other people.