Amber Renee Hagerman (November 25, 1986–January 17, 1996) was a young girl who became a victim of an abduction and murder. In January 13, 1996, she was riding her bicycle near her grandparents' home in Arlington, Texas, and was kidnapped soon thereafter.[1]
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A neighbor called police and provided a description of the suspect and his vehicle (the witness described the abductor as a white or Hispanic male, driving a late model black pickup truck), but could not recall many details. Arlington Police and the FBI interviewed other neighbors and searched for the suspect and vehicle. Local radio and TV stations covered the story in their regular newscasts. Four days later, following an extensive, area-wide search, Amber’s body was found by a resident who was walking his dog. The body was found at the bottom of a creek bed at the Forest Hollow apartment complex in north Arlington. Amber's throat had been slit. No arrests were made.[1] Her murder remains unsolved, [2] but on July 25, 2007 it was announced that Terapon Adhahn, of Tacoma, Washington, was under investigation for Amber's slaying. Adhahn was arrested July 9, 2007 in connection with another abduction, that of 12-year-old Zina Linnik, whose body was found July 12 in east Pierce Country, in Washington State. Zina disappeared from a July 4th celebration. Adhahn was charged with aggravated first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping and first-degree rape in Zina's abduction and death. In addition to Zina's slaying, Adhahn was considered a person of interest in the slaying of Adre'Anna Jackson, 10, of Tillicum, Washington who was killed in 2005. He has also been charged with raping two other girls.
AMBER Alert
In October 2000, the United States House of Representatives adopted H.R. 605 which encouraged communities nationwide to implement the AMBER Plan. In April 2003, President Bush signed the AMBER Alert legislation, making it a national program. While the AMBER Alert system is now mandated across the USA, some states are still trying to implement the procedures necessary in bringing the alerts to the public. Hampered by outdated Emergency Broadcast guidelines and different activation criteria in each state, the system is still being developed to provide optimal effectiveness. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children assists in the implementation of AMBER Alerts. In 2006, a TV movie Amber's Story was broadcast on Lifetime. It stars Elisabeth Röhm and Sophie Hough.
See also
Notes
- ^ a b "The Abductions That Changed America", Newsweek, 29 January 2007, pp.54–55.
- ^ Dallas Morning News, January 12, 2006 (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/011306dnmetamber.1c5ccd05.html)
