Hagerman case remains unsolved 30 years later

By Rebecca Aguilar

“Children found safe in Texas after AMBER alert.”

“Lewisville police find a 13-year-old girl, and a suspect is arrested after an AMBER alert was issued.”

“North Richland Hills police find a 15-year-old North Texas girl safe after AMBER alert went out.”

Those were some of the news alerts the public heard or read about in last year.

 The AMBER Alert is something we have come to know as an emergency search for a child who has been taken from her family, and quick action is critical to find them. 

Thirty years ago this month, 9-year-old Amber Hagerman (pictured) was abducted while riding her bike. She had been visiting their grandmother in Arlington, Texas. On January 17, 1996, Amber’s dead body was found near a creek a few miles from where she had been taken.

That same month, Diana Simone of Fort Worth, who had been watching the story on the news, contacted a local FM radio station and suggested that an emergency broadcast be used to quickly get the word out to the public that a child had been abducted. She figured if weather alerts could be broadcast, why not the abduction of a child. 

Her idea launched the AMBER Plan, which was later renamed the AMBER Alert. AMBER stands for America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response. It was established to honor Amber Hagerman. 

The local media, along with law enforcement agencies in North Texas, worked together and developed the AMBER alert, an early warning system to help find abducted children. 

AMBER ALERT ADOPTED AROUND THE COUNTRY 

Two years after Amber was abducted, the AMBER Alert helped save a child who had been abducted. Eight-week-old Raye Lee Bradbury was abducted by her babysitter in Arlington. 

Police activated the AMBER alert, and the baby was located safely within two hours. 

In 2000, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) decided to promote and implement the AMBER Alert program nationwide. The NCMEC also hosted an AMBER Alert forum at its headquarters in Alexandria, Va. to gather ideas on how the program should be executed nationwide. In 2003, President George W. Bush signed the AMBER Alert into law with Amber’s family by his side. 

Today, all 50 states use AMBER Alerts. The District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, which are part of U.S. jurisdictions, have also adopted the AMBER Alert system. 

USING SOCIAL MEDIA 

TO EXPAND 

THE AMBER ALERT

In January 2015, Facebook, working with NCMEC, began sending AMBER Alerts in its news feed. The alerts include a photograph of the missing child and the location where the possible abduction took place. Facebook has 185 million users in the U.S., and the notices are tailored to location — so users will receive alerts about missing children in their area.

In June 2022, Instagram started posting the photo of a missing child at the top of a user’s feed. It also started sharing information about local AMBER Alerts, in partnership with several organizations devoted to finding and rescuing abducted children. 

In March 2025, TikTok officially launched Amber Alerts nationwide after a successful Texas pilot, in partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). The AMBER Alerts push the real-time alerts to the users’ feeds in the area where law enforcement has designated a child has been abducted. 

TikTok has 170 million users in the U.S. 

EVERY CHILD BROUGHT HOME SAFELY 

IS A SUCCESS

The AMBER Alert system has had many successful outcomes around the country. The official government site for AMBER Alerts reports that as of December 18, 2025, 1,292 children were successfully recovered through AMBER Alerts, and 241 children were rescued through wireless emergency alerts. 

In 2024, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in Texas provided support for 53 AMBER alert cases initiated by Texas law enforcement involving 62 children. 

While many children have been found safe, and perpetrators have been put behind bars, the suspect in the abduction and murder of Amber Hagerman has yet to be found. The Arlington Police said in a statement: “We want to remind the public that Amber’s case remains unsolved — and we are committed to delivering justice for her and her family. Detectives continue to follow up on tips from the public and are consulting with crime labs to see if there any new advancements in forensic technology that may help us identify her killer. If anyone has any information about Amber’s case, we urge them to call us at 817-459-5935. Tipsters can also remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers of Tarrant County at 817-469-8477.”