The Unsolved Murder of Amber Hagerman

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4th February 2019  •  5 min read

Amber Hagerman, 9, was abducted while playing with her brother in an abandoned grocery store parking lot in Arlington Texas. Four days later, her body was found. Her killer had kept her alive for two days before killing her. Her brutal murder still remains unsolved.


The Unsolved Murder of Amber Hagerman

Morbidology Podcast

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Morbidology is a weekly true crime podcast created and hosted by Emily G. Thompson. Using investigative research combined with primary audio, Morbidology takes an in-depth look at true crime cases from all across the world.


Today we have an amazing guest post by Christine Penhale, a true crime researcher, writer, and editor. She runs a true crime site called The True Crime Files. The site is dedicated to all things true crime: investigations, reviews, updates, etc. Christine shines a light on unsolved murders and disappearances in hopes to give a voice to victims and their loved ones. You can follow Christine on Twitter and Facebook to discuss this case or to just chat about true crime.


Case File Overview 

On the afternoon of January 13th, 1996, 9-year-old Amber Hagerman went on a bike ride with her 5-year-old brother Ricky. To make the most of the warm winter day in Arlington, Texas, they headed to an abandoned grocery store parking lot that had a bike ramp many kids in the neighbourhood used. 

Amber and Ricky spent time playing in the parking lot. And after a while, Ricky decided to head back home, leaving his sister to enjoy cycling on her own. 

Minutes later, Amber was abducted. 

The Unsolved Murder of Amber Hagerman
Amber wearing her Brownies uniform. Credit: NBC News.

Four days after Amber’s kidnapping, a man walking his dog stumbled upon her body in a creek behind Forest Hills Apartments, an apartment complex less than five miles from the parking lot where Amber had last been seen riding her bike. 

An autopsy later revealed that Amber had been kept alive for two days after being taken. She had been beaten and sexually assaulted before her throat was cut and her body was tossed into the creek. 

Amber’s murder remains unsolved. 

Case File Theories 

There is only one real theory in this case: Amber was kidnapped by a stranger. 78-year-old retired machinist Jim Kevil witnessed Amber’s abduction from his backyard. 

Amber was riding her bike alone in the parking lot when the opportunistic killer jumped out of his black or dark blue pick-up truck and grabbed the little girl. Jimmie stated Amber “screamed once and was kicking” when she was hauled into the truck. 

Jimmie described Amber’s kidnapper as “a white or Hispanic male aged 25-40, under 6 feet tall, [with a] medium build.” 

After Jimmie called the police, they were on the scene in a matter of minutes. Even though Amber’s family, members of the community, and the authorities searched frantically for Amber, they were unable to locate her in time. Stranger abductions are extremely rare and difficult to solve, as there is usually little information to go on. 

Unfortunately, forensics are of little help in this case. When Amber’s body was found, she was naked except for one sock, and the running water in the creek washed away critical forensic evidence. Mike Simonds, the investigative sergeant who was in charge of Amber’s case at the time, explained, “There had been a very large storm and Amber was not only in water but in running water in a creek bed, so there had been a tremendous amount of water flow over her body which obviously made it hard in terms of trace evidence.” 

It would not surprise me if Amber’s killer has committed similar crimes. Although it is unlikely, I hope he is already in prison and just has not been linked yet to Amber’s murder due to the absence of forensic evidence. 

AMBER Alert Program 

No doubt many of you have already heard of the AMBER Alert Program. But did you realize it was named after Amber Hagerman? 

After Amber’s murder, Diana Simone, a Fort Worth mother who had never met Amber, contacted a local radio station. She questioned why broadcasters sent out severe weather warnings but did not alert the public when a child was abducted. 

Perhaps if the community had known Amber had been abducted and was aware of the suspect and vehicle description, Amber could have been located before she was killed. The idea snowballed, and, at Diana’s request, became what is now known as the AMBER Alert Program. 

The program is currently being used in all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Indian country, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and 22 other countries. And according to the AMBER Alert Program’s website, as of November 2017, the system has resulted in the successful recovery of 897 children. 

Donna Williams, Amber’s mother, has called the implementation of the AMBER Alert Program “bittersweet.” Donna cannot help but wonder, “What would have happened if we would have had the alert when Amber went missing? Could it have helped bring her back to me?” Although Donna is thankful for every missing child that the system assists in locating, it sadly brings her no closer to finding her daughter’s murderer. 

Who Do You Think Killed Amber? 

Roughly 8000 leads in Amber’s case have been investigated. And despite the hard work of nearly 50 police officers and federal agents, Amber’s case remains unsolved. 

The police, however, refuse to give up on finding Amber’s killer. They insist that “someone out there has knowledge that will aid in bringing closure to Amber’s family and our community.” 

Anyone with information about Amber’s murder is asked to contact Detective Ben Lopez at 817-459-5373. There is a $10,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest and Grand Jury indictment of the suspect. Tipsters can also remain anonymous by contacting Tarrant County Crime Stoppers at 817-469-TIPS. 


Related reading, viewing, and listening 

“20 Years Later, Detectives Have Information To Share On Amber Hagerman Case” - CBS News article 

“Who Killed Amber Hagerman? Murder Case That Inspired Amber Alerts Remains Unsolved 20 Years Later” - Yahoo News article 

“After Amber”  – documentary created by WFAA 

“Amber Hagerman and the AMBER Alert System” - Once Upon a Crime podcast

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Celeste McKenzie
Celeste McKenzie
5 years ago

I remember this case so vividly… I hadn’t realized nobody had ever been caught for the murder. I followed it in the news when it happened and all these years I thought it was solved. How sad. What a horrible death for such a young girl too. It makes me heartbroken to think the person who made her suffer so much is still free out there 🙁

John
John
5 years ago

I never realized the amber alert was named after somebody. Very sad her murder has not been solved.

Kerrie
Kerrie
5 years ago

I think of this case from time to time. Scary to think this sicko is still out there. It probably gives him pleasure when an amber alert is issued..

perl
perl
5 years ago

Her body was found less than a mile from my house. Catching this guy is on my bucket list of crimes I’d like to see solved. There’s practically no way he didn’t do this before or hasn’t done it again since.

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Lynn Gonzalez
Lynn Gonzalez
3 years ago

There was a serial killer with a similar MO Mack Ray Edwards.

Hope
Hope
3 years ago

Did they question the witness? DNA ? Did they check the Dog walker? Has the brother been spoken with again or maybe even put under hypno to see if he recalls anything, even a on looker or vehicle sitting around? Were there other children playing on that same day at that parking lot? Have those children been revisited as adults to see if they remember anything that might not have been a thought in their heads at the time? It is unlikely that this was someone they wouldn’t have been used to seeing about and seemed to pose no threat… Read more »

Isavel
Isavel
3 years ago
Reply to  Hope

Police said witnesses were illegals and fled, they refuse to cooperate with police. No doubt killer was an illegal who went back to Mexico. I know of two child rapists who did that and they’ve never been caught. They buy another identity and come back over the border with a new name.

Isavel
Isavel
3 years ago

The police said that many witnesses were illegals who fled the police despite promises they wouldn’t be deported. My opinion is the killer was also an illegal alien and likely went back to Mexico. I know of two other child rapists here illegally who did just that and neither of them was ever caught. Nobody even knows their real identities. Mexican govt doesn’t care about child rapist/murderers. They literally gave a Mexican mother her dismembered child’s remains in a garbage bag. A GARBAGE BAG. They have a lot of child prostitution outside DF police turn turn a blind eye to… Read more »

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Joel C
Joel C
1 year ago

It was the dad’s friend — Mike Thompson…same truck that was described, including the fact that there was no chrome on the single cab black truck. Look at the footage from the apartment complex, same style small single black truck as Thompson’s.

Misty
Misty
8 months ago
Reply to  Joel C

Exactly what I said and the fact that they didn’t do a lie detector test on him and there’s all signs that he did it

Jef
Jef
9 months ago

Did anyone ever suspect that there was no black truck and the witness was the killer?

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