As a citizen of the US, you do know what an Amber Alert is. It’s an emergency code that is pressed into use in the case of abducted children. Authorities use all forms of media and communication including Google, Yahoo, Bing and social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to warn almost every demographic when it concerns a missing child. The alert saves more than 100 children every year in the US, but did you know about the tragic origins of the Amber Alerts? Yes, It was one little girl who inspired the move of the Amber Alert but unfortunately wasn’t saved herself.
1The story of Amber Hagerman
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This is the story of Amber Hagerman who was abducted by a stranger outside a supermarket 20 years ago while she was riding her bike. A Witness called the police but could only relate how he saw a dark truck driving away from the scene.
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2Abducted from a vacant store lot
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It was January 13, 1996. Amber Hagerman aged 9 and her brother Ricky 5 was riding their bikes outside an abandoned grocery store in Arlington, Texas. Ricky soon left for home. Suddenly a truck driver pulled up and grabbed Amber and drove off with her. The witness Jim Kevin 78 was in his backyard when he saw the incident.
Says Kevin “I saw [Amber] riding up and down, she was by herself. I saw this pickup. He pulled up, jumped out and grabbed her. When she screamed, I figured the police ought to know about it, so I called them.”
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3The killer was believed to be white or Hispanic
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According to Jim descriptions, the abductor was either white or Hispanic. The police arrived within minutes but by then Amber’s grandfather Jimmie Whitson was driving down to the former Win Dixie store to se if she was ok. He was worried after he saw Ricky had returned home and Amber was alone. When he arrived he only found the cops scouting the area.
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