Remembering Amber Hagerman, 27 years later
ARLINGTON, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - Twenty-seven years ago, Amber Hagerman jumped on her pink bicycle for what would turn out to be the last time.
The nine-year-old was kidnapped, and four days later her body found four miles away near the Forest Hill Apartments in North Arlington on Jan. 13, 1996. Police said a man in a black pickup abducted her from the parking lot of an abandoned grocery store. That store was located at 1600 E. Abram Street. Witnesses later reported the suspect was white or Hispanic.
Witness to her abduction, retiree Jim Kevil remembered the day she was taken.
"I saw [Amber] riding up and down," Kevil told CBS 11 seven years ago. "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."
Here is the most updated suspect and vehicle description information:
- Suspect: White or Hispanic male, 20s to 30s (as of 1996), under 6' tall, medium build, brown or black hair
- Vehicle: Black 1980s or 1990s full size, fleet side pickup truck, short wheel base, single cab, rear window was clear, no sliding window, no chrome (solid black in color), no striping, truck was in good condition with no visible damage
Hagerman's brutal murder remains unsolved to this day.
The crime led to the development of the Amber Alert System, which is now used worldwide to send public signals about missing children in danger.
Detectives have said they believe someone, somewhere knows something about Hagerman's abduction and murder.
"It is possible that there were other witnesses who saw what happened but were fearful about coming forward. With it being a Saturday afternoon that was nice, and a laundromat being right next door to the abduction, we were concerned that there could be people that were there at the laundromat who may have been undocumented and living in this country illegally," Sgt. Ben Lopez told CBS 11 previously.
A dedicated tip line was set up for the public to provide any information, no matter how insignificant: 817-575-8823.