and there are suspects attached to those. and plus there are people who we have looked at in the past that we ll continue to look at. reporter: so there are still people your looking at? there are people we continue to look at today. reporter: the tragedy and frustration in this case have led to something very important, the federal amber alert program is named in honor of amber hagerman. it s credited for the rescue of hundreds of children throughout the united states. and it s a legacy that gives amber s mother strength. makes me feel good. makes me feel proud and something i know amber would have been proud of. reporter: back at the parking lot where amber disappeared, there s graffiti on the wall that has her name and the words angel and still searching. it comforts amber s brother that people painted that, because it means they still care. this is the first time ricky hagerman has publicly talked about his sister. i love her and miss her very much. i hope one day j
people painted that. this is the first time ricky hagerman has publicly talked about his sister. i love her and miss her very much. i hope one day justice will be brought to her. reporter: 15 years later, we have absolutely no idea what happened to the killer. he could be in prison on another charge. for all we know, he could be dead. the sad fact is, he could still be wandering the streets a free man, which makes people wonder could things have been different if back then there was such a thing as an amber alert. amber would have been 24 years old now. this is my first grade picture. reporter: but her family prefers to remember her as a happy 9-year-old, whose name is now known from coast to coast. gary tuchman, cnn, arlington, texas. with her case, her family
means they still care. this is the first time ricky hagerman has publicly talked about his sister. i love her and miss her very much. i hope one day justice will be brought to her. reporter: 15 years later, we have absolutely no idea what happened to the killer. he could be in prison on another charge. for all we know, he could be dead. the sad fact is, he could still be wandering the streets a free man, which makes people wonder could things have been different if back then there was such a thing as an amber alert. amber would have been 24 years old now. this is my first grade teacher and these are all my friends. reporter: but her family prefers to remember her as a happy 9-year-old, whose name is now known from coast to coast. gary tuchman, cnn, arlington, texas. with amber s case, her family realized that something was
that s a big deal, isn t it? yes. what did you do to get that? i had to get an honor roll, a-b honor roll and do good things in the class and help. reporter: the tv station also took video of amber and her brother together, and amber on her bicycle. weeks later at their grandparent s home in arlington, texas, they rode their bicycles to the parking lot of an empty grocery store. they wanted to ride on the delivery lamp. ricky was ready to leave before his sister. i went back by myself. when i went back, my grandfather was like, where is your sister? i said she s over there at the ramp. he was like, well, go get her. i came back to get her and she was nowhere to be found. we saw a policeman and then we saw the bike and he was like, that s my granddaughter s bike, where is my grand daughter? the cop told him there s been a little child taken from here.
brother together, and amber on her bicycle. weeks later at their grandparent s home in arlington, texas, they rode their bicycles to the parking lot of an empty grocery store. they wanted to ride on the delivery lamp. ricky was ready to leave before his sister. i went back by myself. when i went back, my grandfather was like, where is your sister? i said she s over there at the ramp. he was like, well, go get her. i came back to get her and she was nowhere to be found. we saw a policeman and then we saw the bike and he was like, that s my granddaughter s bike, where is my grand daughter? the cop told him there s been a little child taken from here. reporter: a witness had seen a man jump out of a dark truck and grab the screaming little girl. amber s grandfather returned home and told his daughter, donna, the dreadful news. that s when my world just fell apart. and i started running towards where he was abducted at, where