Father of missing Dallas toddler still searching for answers after 40 years: Amber Crum cold case
DALLAS — It's a missing child mystery that has haunted Dallas for decades. Amber Crum was just 2 years old when she disappeared from the Pleasant Grove area the day after Christmas in 1983.
Her mother's boyfriend, James "Britt" Monroe said someone took her from his pickup while he was inside a convenience store.
Dallas police detectives said Amber's mother, Stephanie Hughes, told them she thought Amber was dead.
They arrested Monroe on a charge of murder, but the case fell apart when Hughes reversed her original testimony and said she believed Amber was alive. The judge dismissed the murder charge, and a grand jury later declined to indict Monroe.
Crum remains missing.
Amber's father, Larry Crum said he is on a mission to bring justice to his daughter.
"One way or another, I'm fighting for Amber," he said. "I want peace for me, I want peace for Amber, and I want justice for them."
The I-Team also interviewed Bill Dear, a private investigator hired by the Hughes family after Amber's disappearance.
Dear died earlier this year at the age of 83.
Monroe and Hughes declined to be interviewed for this report but did provide statements.
"While James 'Britt' Monroe is extremely sympathetic to the family, he absolutely maintains his innocence in this case," said Bill Kennedy, Monroe's attorney. "This was a life-altering event; every day he has to live with the loss of that child under his care."
"This has been very difficult for me and my family," Hughes said. "I think about Amber every day, especially this time of year. I honestly wish I knew what happened, but only one person in the world knows and that is Britt Monroe."
Dallas police have not released any new details in the investigation. If you have any information about the Amber Crum case, please call DPD at 214-671-4212.
