25 years after Amber Hagerman’s kidnapping, here’s why detectives stay hopeful for a breakthrough in her case
For the first time, police said they have DNA evidence that someday — with new technology that has solved other high-profile cold cases — could be the key to finding her killer.
A large painted mural adorns a memorial for Amber Hagerman, the little girl who was abducted on her bike and later found dead in Arlington, Texas in 1996.(Tom Fox / Staff Photographer)
When 9-year-old Amber Hagerman vanished Jan. 13, 1996, Sgt. Ben Lopez quickly realized hers wasn’t a typical missing-child case.
He was a patrol officer, driving around Arlington that afternoon looking for a black pickup connected to her disappearance. When he saw media vans lined up, he realized the seriousness of the case.