Amber Hagerman was a 9-year-old girl who was kidnapped and murdered in Arlington, Texas on January 13, 1996. She was riding her bicycle in a parking lot of an abandoned grocery store when a man got out of a black pickup truck, grabbed her off her bicycle, and forced her into his truck as she kicked and screamed. The driver fled the scene with Amber. Four days later, a man walking his dog found Amber’s body in a creek about four miles from where she was abducted. Autopsy results revealed she had died of cut wounds to the neck. As of January 2023, her killer still hasnt been caught, and police have received and investigated more than 7,000 tips related to the case.

Ambers murder inspired the creation of the AMBER Alert system, which is an early warning system to help find abducted children. The system was created in 1996 when Dallas-Fort Worth broadcasters teamed with police to develop the alert system. The AMBER Alert system has contributed to the rescue of more than 1,000 children. Ambers legacy is an alert system that has saved over a thousand children.

Despite the thorough investigation and numerous leads, the case remains unresolved, and the murderer has yet to be apprehended. Ambers case is deeply personal to Sergeant Ben Lopez, who was a member of the original Amber Hagerman task force and a former homicide detective assigned to her case for several years. He has formed a connection with Ambers family and would love to be able to give them closure.